Love in Silence
by CookiesForMyTummy
Summary: Ally never spoke. She hadn't spoken for over fifteen years. But, then she meets Austin Moon. He's living on the edge of life, involved with the wrong people, but one night they both cross each other's paths, and things change completely. Can he break her fifteen years of silence? Or will he fail like everyone else?
1. Chapter 1

~ Chapter 1 ~

Ally stared at the books on all the shelves. She pushed her black rimmed glasses up her nose, and watched the person browsing the books. She sat mindlessly on her chair, with a computer in front of her. She played with the collar of her blouse, and moved it away from her neck.

She felt like she was being suffocated, and it wasn't an odd feeling. She got it all the time. Ally watched the woman pick up a book, and she began to walk over to her desk. She handed Ally the book, and she stamped it quickly, then handed it back with a shaking hand.

"Thank you," The woman muttered, then left the library as quick as she had come, and Ally brought her thumb into her mouth, chewing the side of it.

It was five minutes before closing time, and she was ready to go home, and curl up on her couch, and watch TV. Ally lived alone, in her one bedroom apartment. It was a small space, but it was fine for her. She enjoyed the quiet. Who was she kidding, almost everything in her life was quiet.

 _Considering I don't speak._

Ally released a breath of air, and she tapped her fingers against the wooden desk.

 _I haven't spoken for fifteen years, and I won't ever again for the rest of my life._

She had only managed to get this job, because her mom had done all the talking for her. Her mom had suggested becoming a librarian, because it involved not talking as much, and in Ally's case, not at all. Ally needed the money, so she didn't mind sitting behind her desk for eight hours of the day.

Her mom has always been a huge help in her life. She did everything for her that involved communicating. Also, her best friend Trish did a lot for her as well. She was her only friend. They had been friends since they were babies, and she had been around when she had been talking for the first ten years of her life, so she understood her situation. It was only her mom, Trish, and a few therapists that knew her situation.

She had seen quite a few therapists, but they never got her to talk. It was just them asking a lot of questions, and her blinking blankly, not saying a word. She couldn't. She had only tried once to talk, and she had hyperventilated, having a panic attack in the middle of the street.

The door opened, and Ally looked over to see Trish standing there. Relief fell on Ally's face, and Trish walked over to her desk.

"Have you almost finished work?" She asked, and Ally nodded her head. "Good, because we're going out!" Ally's eyes widened, and she shook her head. "C'mon Ally, you need to let loose for a while. We're going to go to a bar, and have some drinks."

Ally shook her head again, and Trish sighed. "Ally, it'll be fine. I won't let anything happen to you...I promise."

Ally blinked, and she glanced at the computer. She turned it off, and grabbed her bag. Trish smiled, and grabbed her hand. "Ally, I promise," Ally stared at her for a few more seconds, then nodded her head. "Good, I'm already dressed, so let's go and get you ready," Ally glanced down at her pale pink dress, and her grey cardigan. "You can't go to a bar dressed like that, now c'mon," Trish nodded towards the door, and they both walked out. Ally locked up the library, and she got into Trish's car.

They drove for ten minutes until they came to her apartment building. They got out, and made their way into her apartment. Ally awkwardly stood in her lounge/kitchen, and looked at Trish. She reached out, and pulled her along to her bedroom. Ally sat down on her bed, and watched Trish rummage through her closet.

She played with her shaking fingers, and stared at her reflection in the mirror, which was hanging from her bedroom wall. Her skin was pale, and she had bags under her eyes. She slipped off her glasses, and placed them on her nightstand. She rubbed the back of her neck, then released her hair from its ponytail. It cascaded down her back in messy curls of brown and blond. She only saw dullness.

 _That's what I am...dull._

"Here, this dress will do," Trish held out a dark blue, chiffon dress, and her black leather jacket. Ally didn't like how short the dress was, but Trish passed her the clothes. Ally quickly changed, and the dress stopped at her upper thighs. She awkwardly twisted her legs, and bit her bottom lip. She felt uncomfortable.

Trish turned around and gasped when she saw her. "See, you look beautiful," Ally shook her head, and Trish tutted. "You do Ally, you need to have more self-confidence."

Trish moved Ally's hair, so some of it rested over her shoulders. She brushed some of the stray strands from her face, then smiled at her. "If you feel uncomfortable at any point, you tap three times. On your leg if you're standing up, or on the table if we're sat down, and we will leave straight away," Ally nodded her head, and Trish sprayed some perfume on her.

They walked out of her bedroom, and Trish handed her a black clutch. Ally saw her only pair of heels by the door, and her feet curled inwards. She hated how uncomfortable they were.

 _Who am I kidding, everything in my life is uncomfortable!_

Ally slipped them on, and followed Trish out of her apartment. They made their way back to Trish's car, and Ally could see the sun beginning to set. She got into the passenger seat, and she played with the hem of her dress. She tried to pull it down, but every time she did, it pulled it lower at the top, showing more of her breasts. She decided that she'd rather it be short, then have it flashing her breasts.

They drove for a while, until they pulled up outside a bar called Ed's. She could see motorbikes parked outside, and she swallowed the lump in the back of her throat. She could already hear the loud noises coming from inside, and she immediately wanted to tap three times.

...

Austin was sat at the bar, spinning his beer bottle around, before taking another sip. His eyes were heavy, and his throat was sore. He had just finished having a massive fight with his older brother Tyler. They both lived together in a shitty house, which was falling to pieces.

His brother Tyler was an alcoholic, and a frequent drug user. Austin was a keen drinker, but he never touched drugs. Both of their parents were dead and gone, leaving just them two behind. They always fought, it was just the way they were with one another. By tomorrow they'd be back to normal, and Austin would be cleaning up all his mess, getting him out of all this shit he was knee deep in.

Austin finished off his beer, and asked the bartender for another. He nodded his head, then a few seconds later, another beer was placed in front of him. He could hear the loud roar of bikers from behind him. He knew a few of them, hell he even considered some of them his friends, but tonight he just wanted to drink, alone.

He was always going from one group to the next. He had to, because somehow Tyler managed to screw things up, and piss someone off, and Austin was left to clean up the mess. They had moved houses three times, because he had fought with drug dealers, and people from local gangs. He could never keep his temper under control.

Austin had a short temper. He got it from his dad, and so did Tyler, which was the reason why they both got into arguments all the time. They couldn't help it.

Austin had a job as a mechanic. He needed the money, but it still wasn't enough. It was never enough. He was always left to pay the drug dealers money, because Tyler didn't have any. Most people would've left him to sort out his own problems, but Austin firmly believed that 'blood is blood', meaning no matter what Tyler does, he's still his brother, and he would always help him.

Austin chugged down his beer, and quickly got another one. He rubbed his eyes with the heel of his hand, then sighed. He was sat on the stool in his black leather jacket, a worn grey top, and his baggy trousers, which had rips in, and were tucked into his black work boots. He never considered himself a person to care about his appearance. He didn't go out looking for attention. He didn't like it.

Austin glanced down the bar, and saw two women standing a few stools down from him.

"Sit down," The shorter girl ordered, and the taller girl shook her head frantically. Austin couldn't see her face, as her back was to him, but he could tell she didn't want to be here. He could see her body was trembling. She reached her hand out and tapped on the counter three times. "Ally, no. We just got here," The girl grumbled, and the girl he now knew as Ally, continued to tap on the table in sets of three's.

 _What the hell is wrong with her?_

Austin looked away, and took a sip of his beer. He glanced back at them to see the darker skinned girl was forcing Ally to sit on the stool. She continued to shake her head, but the other girl waved at the barman.

"Can I get two beers?" The girl asked, and he watched Ally shake her head. She shifted on the stool, and Austin finally caught a glimpse of her face. Her skin was flawlessly pale. She had plump pink lips, and he glanced at her deep brown eyes.

 _Whoa, what the fuck, stop staring!_

Austin looked away, and he knocked back his beer. He heard the drinks being placed down in front of them, and he glanced back at them. He cursed to himself, but he watched as Ally pushed the beer away.

"What do you want then?" The other girl asked. "Do you want water?" Ally nodded.

 _What? Could this girl not speak for herself?_

Soon a water was placed in front of her, and Austin told himself he should leave, but he didn't. He stayed where he was.

"I just need to go to the toilet," The girl said, and Austin watched as Ally's eyes widened, and she shook her head frantically. "Ally, don't worry. I'll be back in a few minutes," She left the girl at the bar, and she took a nervous sip of her water. Austin looked away, and he stared at his beer.

He could feel someone's eyes on him, and he quickly took a sip of his drink.

"This is from the guys on that table over there," Austin glanced over and watched the girl stare at the new alcoholic drink in front of her. She stared at the barman, then looked at the group of men, who were smiling.

Her eyes searched around the bar, and her eyes landed on him. She suddenly froze like a deer caught in the headlights. He watched as her finger began to tap on the counter in sets of three.

"Hey darlin'," Her gaze tore away from his, and she glanced at the man who had slid up next to her. Austin watched her finger move faster on the counter.

 _Kind of like a distress signal..._

He squinted, and saw the scared look on her face.

 _That is a distress signal._

Austin placed his beer on the counter, then he got to his feet. He watched as the man slowly reached out and went to touch her shoulder, but Austin got there first. He grabbed the man's wrist, and they both looked at him.

"Can't you see she's uncomfortable? Go, and find someone else to harass," He growled, and let go of his wrist.

"Alright man," He walked off, and he turned his head to see her staring at him. She blinked, innocence's on her face.

"A thank you would be nice," He muttered, and she just gave him a blank stare. "Whatever," Austin walked off, and returned to his seat. He could feel her eyes still on him, and he went to snap at her, but she got to her feet. He watched her walk over, and she grabbed a napkin from the counter, then reached behind the bar, and found a pen. She began to scribble something down on it, then she held it out to him. He saw that her hand was trembling, and he carefully took the napkin away from her.

He glanced down at the letters on the napkin: _Thank you._

"What? Are you mute or something?" He took a sip of his beer, and she slowly nodded her head. "Oh..."

She looked at him with her wide, doe, brown eyes, and Austin placed his beer down with a thud. Austin saw someone walking over to them, and he realized it was her friend.

"What did you do to her?" The girl snapped, her voice pouring with venom.

"Me? I didn't do nothing!" Austin snapped back, and Ally began to shake her head at the girl.

"Oh, sorry," She mumbled. "I'm Trish by the way," Austin looked her up and down, then turned away from her.

"If you know your friend is uncomfortable around other people, you might not want to leave her alone at a bar with drunk men, especially if she's mute. It doesn't take a genius to work that out," Trish squeaked, and she grabbed Ally's wrist, pulling her away from the bar, and out of the exit.

Austin quickly finished off his beer, then ordered another one. He glanced down at the napkin that was still on the wooden counter. He stared down at her etiquette writing, and he turned to look at the exit.

Without a second thought he slipped the napkin into his pocket.

* * *

 **AN: Hi! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter, so please leave me a review to let me know whether I should continue. Updates will be every weekend, since I'm very busy on weekdays :)**

 **Song: Hozier - Arsonist's Lullaby**

 **CookiesForMyTummy,x**


	2. Chapter 2

~ Chapter 2 ~

Ally knew herself that Trish liked to push her out of her comfort zone. Of course Ally didn't like it herself, but she knew that Trish was just trying to get her to become more comfortable around new people.

 _I don't want to meet new people._ Ally sighed. _Except for the blond man at the bar_ , her inner voice taunted. _No...no..._

Ally's eyes scanned across the words on the pages. She was trying to focus on reading her book, but she kept getting distracted, and she wasn't sure why. She chewed on the side of her thumb, it was a habit she really needed to break.

She glanced over at her bookshelf. It was packed with different genres of books, being mute gave her a lot of time to just sit down and power read. It was easy for her just to sit on the couch in a mask of silence, and read until the sun goes down, and she enjoyed it. It was one of the few things she enjoyed about being mute.

Many people had many questions about why she was mute. Was she born that way? _Nope._ Is it psychological? _No._ What are the reason for her being mute? _Like hell I'm going to tell them...I couldn't, even if I wanted to._

Ally closed her book, then she tapped her chin. She didn't know why she was so distracted, she rarely got this way, stressed yes, but never distracted. She placed her book down on her coffee table, then grabbed her mug. She padded over to her kitchen, and she placed her mug down on the counter.

 _What do I fancy for lunch? A sandwich!_

Ally opened up her cupboard, and realized she didn't have any bread left. _Okay, I think I need to go grocery shopping._ Ally grabbed a piece of paper, and began to write down everything she needed. She pushed it into her jeans pocket, then grabbed her handbag from her table.

She walked out of her apartment, and she went down the stairwell, towards her car. She got inside, and drove off towards the nearest grocery store. She turned on the radio, and one of her favorite songs came on. She bobbed her head to the beat of the song, and she realized she probably looked ridiculous to anyone who drove past her, but Ally had been in more worse, embarrassing situations than this.

Ten minutes later she eventually pulled up outside the grocery store. She grabbed a trolley, and walked inside. She took her list out of her pocket, and began to scan the shelves for the items she needed. The place was packed, and it made her feel uneasy.

 _Cramped places aren't my thing, especially, because I can't scream for help._

She was wandering down the last aisle, everything she needed was in her trolley, but her stomach began to rumble, and she figured she should pick a snack up.

 _Where are the granola bars?_

Ally began to retrace her steps, and she went to the section, which seemed plausible to have the granola bars in, but she couldn't see any. She rubbed the back of her neck, and one of the people that worked in the grocery store gave her a funny look.

 _It's not like I can ask her where they are..._

Ally looked over her shoulder, and she gawked when she saw the man from the bar putting stuff into a basket. She bit her bottom lip, and quickly turned away, but he had already spotted her.

He didn't make any movement to come over to her, and she felt a bit relieved. He made her really nervous, but most people did. She scanned the shelves again, then sighed.

 _I don't need granola bars that bad anyway._

"Do you need help?" Ally turned to see he was standing next to her. She just stared at him with wide eyes, and a skittish expression.

 _You were always good at first impressions_ , her inner voice taunted sarcastically. _Well, I say first impressions, I mean second, but you weren't very good when you first met him either._

Ally opened her mouth slightly, then she chewed on the side of her thumb. He suddenly pulled out a pen from his back pocket. Ally took in the sight of him, he was wearing a pair of grey overalls that were covered in dirt and oil, and underneath was a torn black top. His hands and arms were smudged with oil and grime, and he was wearing heavy work boots. _He's a mechanic._

Ally snapped out of it, and she took the pen from his hands. She began to scribble down on the piece of paper in her hand and she handed it to him.

"You can't find the granola bars?" He asked, and she shook her head. "You know they are right there," He pointed up a bit, and out of her eye line, on the very top shelf were the boxes of granola bars. She blushed in embarrassment, and she got up on her tiptoes to reach them, but she still couldn't get them. He reached up and swiped them from the top shelf, and placed them in her trolley. "Bye," With that he left.

Ally watched him go, and she began to chew on the side of her thumb again. She should have asked him what his name was.

...

Ally was sat on her couch when her mom marched into her apartment. Ally jumped out of her skin, and stared at her with wide eyes.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," Penny rushed into her bedroom, and Ally closed her book, and followed after her. "I need to ask you a favor honey. I've got this charity event at work, and I totally forgot about it. I have a plus one, so I need you to come with me."

Ally tilted her head to the side, and Penny rolled her eyes. "Please?"

Ally nodded her head, and Penny smiled. "Now, let's find you something to wear," She opened Ally's closest, then she scanned the clothes in there. "Nope, none of this will do. I guess we need to go shopping, c'mon, grab your purse."

Ally was ushered out of her bedroom, and out of her apartment within seconds. She loved her mom, but sometimes she didn't understand that Ally didn't like things like shopping, or going out to events, it wasn't her scene.

Ally got into her mom's car, and she drove off towards the city. Ally cringed as they got closer and closer. She could already see the number of people multiplying.

 _I'm so going to be running away from her._

They soon pulled up outside the mall, and Ally was yanked from the car. She glared at her mom, and she told her to suck it up. Ally knew that her mom was just trying to push her out of her comfort zone, hoping something will click inside of her, and she'll open her mouth and start talking, _not going to happen._

They walked inside, and Penny guided her into one of the clothes shops, and Ally's eyes widened at the clothes her mom was picking out. _I can't wear a dress like that._ Her mom wandered off into the back of the shop, and Ally quietly began to walk backwards out of the shop. When she was at the entrance, she took off, scurrying past everyone.

She eventually ran outside, and into the fresh air. She sighed, and began to walk down the busy street. _I want to go home._ Ally hated being pushed out of her comfort zone, she absolutely hated it.

Ally carried on her route out of the city, and when she got there, she let out a sigh of relief.

Suddenly, someone reached for her purse. Ally already had a tight grip on it, and she pulled it towards her. The man had his hood up, and she felt something sharp press against her neck, and she was pushed into an alleyway. She immediately let go of her purse, just wanting the man to go away.

He shoved her roughly up against the wall, and she swore she heard her skull crack. The man emptied the contents of her purse, and counted the money in there. He tutted, then looked at her.

"Is that it!?" He snapped, and the knife returned to her neck, it cut into the flesh there, and her bottom lip quivered. "That's not enough!" He swung his fist towards her face, and her head whipped to the side. She reached up to cup the side of her injured face, and she stared at him with wide, watery eyes. He pressed her up against the wall, and she could feel his hot breath against her face.

Ally quickly swung her elbow against the side of his face, then pushed him backwards, and he tumbled to the concrete. Ally bundled her purse up against her chest, and she took off running out of the alleyway.

...

Austin lifted up the bonnet of the truck, and he wiped the sweat from his forehead. He was covered in thick layers of oil and sweat, which made his skin look tanned. He stared at the engine inside, and grabbed his wrench, and began to fiddle with the side of it.

"Guess who's got a date with a foxy girl tonight?" Hands clamped down on his shoulders, and he looked over at Dez.

"You?" He muttered.

"I'm telling you, she is sex on legs," He brought his fingers against his lips, then kissed them. "Perfection."

"Cool," Austin grumbled.

"She also has a hot friend-"

"Not interested," Austin glanced at him, and Dez rolled his eyes.

"C'mon, you've been here for months now, and you haven't been on a date with anyone," Dez wiped the oil from his hands with a dirty rag.

"I don't want to date anyone," He growled.

"Fine, what are you doing tonight then anyway? Let me guess trying to find your brother after he's drunk himself to sleep?"

"Yep," He murmured. "Just the fuckin' usual."

"Are you sure you don't want to-"

"I'm not going on a date!" He snapped, and Dez held his hands up in defense.

"Okay, alright. I hear you," He backed away, then walked out the back door of the garage.

Austin opened the truck door, and tried the engine, and it roared to life. He turned it off, then shut the bonnet. It shut with a bang, and someone screamed in fright. His eyes flew to the open garage doors, and he saw Ally standing across the street. Her eyes were wide, and red with tears, blood was pouring from her bottom lip, and she was clutching her purse against her chest.

 _What the fuck?_

Her gaze snapped to the end of the street. Her body trembled, and she sprinted across the street, and scurried behind the truck he'd been working on. Austin saw a man with his hood up run down the street, and he followed him with his eyes, narrowed in a scowl.

When the man was out of sight, he shifted his gaze to Ally. She was still shaking, and her bottom lip was quivering. He crouched down in front of her, and she locked eyes with him.

"Let me have a look," He grabbed her chin and examined her lip. "Do you want me to clean it up?" She nodded her head frantically, and she got to her feet, still clutching onto her purse.

He guided her through the door at the back of the garage, which lead to a hallway, and he went through the door on the right, and into the kitchen where they ate their lunch, luckily no one was in there.

She sat down on one of the stools, and she slowly placed her purse down on the metal island. She kept her head down, but Austin watched her shoulders shake. He grabbed a cloth from the side, and he dampened it under the tap. He sat down on the stool next to hers, and she turned to look at him. He dabbed the wet cloth against her bottom lip, and she cringed.

"Did that guy try to mug you?" He asked, it wasn't hard to work out with the way she was clutching her purse. She nodded her head.

"My oh my, where have you been hiding her," Gavin somewhat glided into the kitchen, and Austin glared at him. "What's your name princess?" He leaned over the island, and beamed at her. Ally leaned back, and she looked back at Austin, blinking at him with her big eyes. Austin stood up, and dumped the cloth on the counter, then three more people entered the kitchen.

Dez. Dallas, and Elliot.

"Now who did that to your pretty little face?" Dallas asked.

"Has the big old Austin been scaring you?" Elliot asked, and Ally flew from the stool, running behind Austin, and clinging onto the back of his top.

"There ain't no need to be scared," Gavin mused, and Austin could feel her hands shaking against his back.

"Get out," He growled through gritted teeth.

"We just want to talk to her-"

"I said get out!" He yelled, and he heard her whimper.

"Alright, have it your way," Dallas muttered, and the four of them left.

Ally let go out his top, and he turned around. Her head was hanging low, staring at her turned in feet.

"I'm finishing working now, do you want me to take you back home?" She shook her head, and he sighed. "Okay," He grumbled. "Walk home," He stormed out of the kitchen, and slammed the door shut behind him. He walked over to one of the work benches, and he began to clean up his things. Dez walked out from the back, and he said goodbye to Austin, which he didn't respond to and Dez left.

The other door opened again, and Ally walked out, holding onto a piece of paper and her purse. She scuttled over, and placed the piece of paper on the bench, and he glanced down at it.

 _I just don't want to be an inconvenience to your day. I'm sure you've got better things to be doing, than dealing with someone like me._

"What do you mean someone like you?" He said. "You mean mute?" She nodded her head. "I haven't ever met a mute person before. I've met shy people who don't talk much, but not mute. The last thing you are is an inconvenience, I mean you don't talk, that means you won't annoy me," A smile grew on her face, and she looked up at him. "I'm leaving now, do you want me to take you?" She nodded her head.

"ALLYSON DAWSON!" Ally's eyes widened, and she jumped. Austin looked over his shoulder, and saw a woman marching out of her car, and across the street towards them. "You are twenty-five years old, not a baby. How dare you run away from me! I was worried sick!" Ally's eyes flew to Austin, then she dropped her gaze to the floor. "We have got two hours to get to that charity event, and I've got you a dress, let's go," She grabbed Ally's wrist, and began to pull her away from him. He watched Ally go, and she looked over her shoulder to smile at him, before she was ushered into the car.

* * *

 **AN: Hi! Thank you so so so much to everyone who reviewed, it really made me inspired to carry on! I know a lot of you are interested in what way this story can go, and so am I, because as Ally is mute, it gives me a chance to write more from Austin's perspective! This story as well, is going to focusing a lot on character development, so in these early chapters Austin may seem like a jerk, but he'll soon develop into being a nice...jerk :)**

 **Song: Sia - I'm in Here.**

 **CookiesForMyTummy,x**


	3. Chapter 3

~ Chapter 3 ~

 _"_ _Please, don't hurt my daddy," She whispered from the corner of the room. Her small, child's frame, shivered in the darkness._

 _"_ _He's already gone sweetheart," The sickening voice laughed. "And it's all your fault."_

 _"_ _I wanna' see my daddy," She whimpered, then the cold hand grabbed her through the darkness._

 _"_ _You ain't ever gonna' see him again, and you ain't ever gonna' tell a soul about what happened, because if you do, I'll kill everyone you love-"_

Ally shot up. Her legs were tangled in her bed sheets, and she was covered in a layer of sheen sweat. She brushed the back of her hand against her forehead, then glanced at the clock.

 _4:30am_

Ally knew she wasn't going to be getting anymore sleep, so she threw the sheets off her body, and wandered out of her bedroom.

The charity event had been the worst night ever, countless people had approached her, and then when she hadn't replied, they had pulled a funny face at her, then muttered a horrible name under their breath. Ally hated that she couldn't say anything back, she wanted to, but she couldn't.

She walked into her kitchen, and poured herself a glass of water. She finished it off, then peaked through her curtains, and out at the rising sun.

 _I might as well go for a walk._

She returned to her bedroom, then slipped on a pair of jeans, and a jumper. She grabbed her purse, and her book from her nightstand, then left her apartment.

 _Austin, his name is Austin._

Ally rolled her eyes, and she walked down the street. She was heading for the park, she had been there a few times early in the morning, and it was always quiet, just how she liked it.

 _And just how he likes you being quiet._

Ally smacked her hand against her forehead, then five minutes later, she made it to the park. There was a few early risers walking their dogs, but the rest of the park was empty. Ally walked over to one of the bench's, and she pulled out her book, and opened it on the last page she had been reading.

She ran her tongue along her bottom lip, and it brushed against the scab there. She winced slightly, and trembled a little. She was glad that she had come across Austin, she had been out of breath and unsure she could carry on running away from her attacker, but when she had spotted Austin, she felt safe...and she wasn't sure why.

A twig snapped, and she looked over her shoulder at the woodland behind her. A man came stumbling out, an empty beer bottle in his hands. She glanced at her watch.

 _It's 5 o'clock in the morning!_

He stumbled over, and sat down next to her. Ally shuffled further towards the edge of the bench.

"Are you a hooker?" He slurred, and her eyes widened. She shook her head, and he sighed. "Shame."

Ally closed her book and held it close to her chest. "I don't suppose you've seen a blond man walking around here?" She shook her head again. "Good, that means I can go and get some more drink."

Ally looked down at her feet, and he reached over and tapped her shoulder. She jumped, and looked at him. "You wanna' get out of here?" He asked, and she frowned. "C'mon, I can show you a good time."

"Tyler!" A voice snapped from behind them and Ally turned to see who it was, and her eyes went wide.

 _Austin._

Austin's expression went from annoyance to anger when he saw it was Ally sat on the bench. "Leave her alone," Austin walked around the bench and stood in front of him.

"C'mon brother, I'm just having fun. See, I made a friend," He gestured to Ally, and Austin growled.

"She ain't your friend," He hissed, then he looked at Ally. "What the hell are you doing out here at 5 o'clock in the morning?" She stared at him innocently. "Never mind. Tyler, home now!" Austin grabbed his arm, and pulled him from the bench.

Tyler laughed, and stumbled away. Austin watched him go, then he turned back to Ally.

"You really aren't smart are you?" His voice was tired, and strained. She bit her bottom lip, and shrugged her shoulders. "I'd offer to take you back to your apartment, but I need to take my brother home."

Ally got to her feet, and held her book against her chest. She flashed him a weak smile, and kept her eyes glued to the ground, then walked off.

...

Ally was sat at the receptionist desk at the library. There were a few people wandering around the place browsing for books, but overall it was quite dead. She was scribbling things down in her songbook, and scanning the library occasionally.

She felt slightly uneasy, and she knew it was because of this morning. Austin's brother had really creeped her out. He was so different compared to Austin, well Austin wasn't exactly a saint, but he was nice to her.

 _Maybe I'm just over-thinking things. He's probably not even thinking about me..._

Ally got up from her chair, and she walked over to the returned books trolley. She pushed it in front of her, and began to put the books on the shelves. She heard the bell ring above the door, and she glanced over to see a little girl walk in. Ally watched her go up to the desk, and she couldn't even look over it. She just stood there, holding a book to her chest. Ally smiled, then walked up to her.

"My mama told me to return this," She held it out, and Ally took it from her. "Can I choose a book?" Ally nodded her head, and she ran off into the maze of shelves.

Ally returned to the trolley, and placed the books on the shelves. A woman sat at one of the tables coughed loudly, then sniffed. It bounced off the dull walls, and silence followed after. Ally heard the quiet sound of pattering footsteps, and the little girl ran up to her.

"Can I have this one?" She asked, and Ally took the book from her hand, and walked back to the desk. She stamped the return date into the book, then handed it back to her. "Thank you-"

Suddenly, the door flung open, crashing against the wall. Ally jumped, and so did the little girl. A woman stood there, heavy eye makeup, bloodshot eyes, greasy hair, and dark clothes. The little girl clutched the book to her chest, and whimpered.

"Mama," She whispered.

"What the fuck are you doing to my daughter!" She yelled, marching over to them. Ally stared at her blankly, then her eyes fell to the little girl. "I'm talking to you!" Ally pointed to her throat, trying to gesture that she couldn't speak, but the woman saw it as a threat. She punched Ally in the face, and Ally fell to the floor, clutching the side of her face. "We're leaving," The woman grabbed the little girl by her arm, and pulled her out of the library.

The people that were in the library quickly followed after them, none of them stopping to help Ally. She brought her fingers up to her cut lip, she had cut open her lip, just when it had started to heal from the mugger. Ally struggled to push herself up onto her shaking legs, and she walked into the staffroom/kitchen. She walked over to the first aid kit, and wiped her lips with an antiseptic wipe.

 _It was moments like this I wish I could scream. Just let it all out._

Ally's cut bottom lip began to quiver, and she rubbed her forehead with the back of her hand. Tears stung her eyes, and she slowly slid down the cupboard, and onto the marble floor. She brought her knees up to her chest, and buried her face into the gap.

…

Austin kicked open the door with his foot, then pushed it shut behind him. He walked into the kitchen, and placed the grocery bags on the counter. Austin loved where they lived at the moment, out in the woods, away from people. It was quiet to, just how he liked it. The cabin was one floor, with old couches, and a fireplace, then two bedrooms, and a bathroom down a small hall at the back. It was in a shitty condition, but Austin didn't care. It was a nice location for him.

He grabbed a beer from the grocery bag, and sat down on the couch in front of the fire. He opened up the beer, and took a sip, then rested his head against the back of the couch with a sigh. He had just finished working overtime at work, and done a very good job at avoiding all of the guys who wanted to take him out to 'pull' chicks. He hated the way they treated women, it wasn't nice, but he wasn't exactly a romantic himself. He'd never had a relationship before, yes he's had sex, but it was just meaningless, and he couldn't even remember any of their names.

Tyler on the other hand was the biggest man whore around. Any woman, anywhere, was his motto. He usually had a new girl every night, then he was onto the next. It wasn't nice to watch his brother throw his life away, but he was almost forty now, and there was no changing Tyler's ways. He was a druggy and an alcoholic.

Austin's cellphone began to ring from the kitchen, and he got to his feet, then picked it up.

"What?" He rubbed his tired eyes, and sighed.

"Come and pick him up," Dez said down the phone, and Austin growled.

"Already, it's 10 o'clock!" He snapped.

"He's at the usual place," Dez replied, and Austin hung up the phone and slammed it down on the counter.

He stormed out of the cabin and off into the woods. He didn't take the truck, because countless times whilst Tyler had been drunk, he had managed to distract Austin from driving, and he had almost killed both of them. It was very hard to drive, and deal with a prick at the same time. The bar wasn't that far away.

After a few minutes, Austin stepped out of the woods, and came to the edge of town. He walked quickly as he got closer to the bar, and when it came into sight, he felt his anger boil up, ready to burst. Then, someone ran out of the alleyway and into him.

"Watch it!" He yelled, his face scrunched up in anger, but his face softened when he saw who it was. "Ally?"

She looked up at him with her big, teary brown eyes. He saw that the cut on her lip hadn't healed from the mugger, but with a closer look he could see it was a fresh cut. _Someone had hit her again._ She tucked some of her hair behind her ear, then looked down at the sidewalk.

"What happened?" He asked, and she shook her head. "Huh?"

He watched her hand scrunch up into fists, and she brought them up to her head, and began to thump hard. Her whole body shaking.

"Stop doing that!" He snapped, but she continued doing it, silently crying. He grabbed her arms, and he walked her backwards into the alleyway, until her back collided with the wall. She pulled her arms away from him, then slid down onto the cold concrete. Austin stared down at her, as she brought her knees up to her chest, then buried her hands into her hair. He slowly sat down in front of her.

"You're not okay, are you?" She shook her head furiously, then looked at him with shiny eyes. "Did someone hit you again?" She nodded her head, then brushed her fingers against her bottom lip. "I meant to pick my brother up, but do you want me to take you home?" She shook her head, and he frowned. She watched his face fall, then fumbled with her cardigan pocket, pulling out her cellphone. She typed away on it, then handed it to him.

 _My mom is waiting for me…I don't want her to see me like this, not again._

Austin nodded his head, and handed the cellphone back. He held out his hand, and she stared at it blankly. "C'mon," She placed her shaking hand in his, and he helped her to her feet. She immediately let go as she stood up, like it had burned her to touch him. He walked out of the alleyway, and she followed closely behind him.

Austin walked into the woods, and he glanced back at Ally. She was looking wildly around the dark trees, and he could see she was scared. She pulled her cellphone out, and the light illuminated her face, she typed quickly, then shoved the phone into his chest.

 _You're not going to kill me, are you?_

A small smile appeared on his face, and he looked into her eyes. "No, I live in the woods," He handed the phone back, and she typed something else, then gave it back to him.

 _Like Bigfoot?_

"No, I live in a cabin. It's just a few more minutes away," He lead the way back to his cabin, and he walked up the porch steps. He watched her brush her fingers against the dead plants, and she took her phone back from him. He opened the door, and gestured for her to step inside. She cautiously stepped inside the cabin, and her face softened when she looked around. "It's not much-" She held her hand up near his face, as if to silence him, but he narrowed his eyes at her. He opened his mouth to snap at her, but she ran over to the lit fire, and sat down in front of it. He cleared his throat, and felt a wave of nerves wash over him.

 _Why am I nervous for?_

Austin shook his head, then spoke. "Do you need to call your mom?" He asked, and she looked back at him, nodding her head. She began to type on her cellphone, then she slipped it into her pocket.

Austin walked into the kitchen and grabbed a fresh beer. He filled up a glass with water, and rummaged through the cupboards for some painkillers. He walked back into the lounge, and she was still sat in front of the fire. He walked over, and placed the water and painkillers next to her. She nodded in thanks, then he sat down on the couch.

Austin stared at the back of her head. _She looked, relaxed…like she hadn't been relaxed in a while._ He began to wonder why she was mute. _I bet she gets asked that all the time_. Austin didn't understand why he let her come back here. It was so unlike him, that he was struggling to know what do, but she was mute…and he was crap at having a long conversation.

She moved to take the painkillers, then took a small sip of the water. He watched every small movement, and he wanted to punch himself for acting so out of character, but he couldn't snap at her, or make a rude comment, because she couldn't respond.

Austin had been so caught up in his trance, that he didn't hear the door open, until his brother came stumbling in. "You got me a little present brother," Tyler's hand slammed down onto his shoulder, and Austin got to his feet. Tyler took a sip of his beer, and he grinned at Ally, who kept her back to him. "Aren't you going to look at me sugar?" Ally didn't respond, and she continued to gaze at the flames.

"Go to bed Tyler," Austin spoke through gritted teeth, and Tyler rolled his eyes, then stumbled down the hall, and into his bedroom.

Austin looked back at Ally, and he walked over, slowly sitting down next to her. She glanced at him for a moment, then stared back at the flames. "It's a bit weird…staring at the fire like that," She shrugged her shoulders, and he watched her eyes flash with sadness for a second, but it soon disappeared. "Can I ask you a question?" She nodded her head. "Are you mute by choice?" She turned her attention away from the fire, and looked into his eyes, shaking her head. "Oh."

Austin shifted, and he moved a few inches closer to her without realizing, but she did, and she moved away from him. He glared at her, and she pulled her cellphone out, and typed something on it. She clutched the phone for a bit, then finally decided to hand it to him.

 _You make me nervous._

"I do?" She nodded her head, not looking at him. "In a bad way?" She shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not going to hurt you," He sighed, and she stared at him blankly. "I should just take you back home-" She shook her head, and he rubbed his forehead. "I'll take you back in the morning, okay?" She smiled a little, nodding her head. "Do you mind sleeping on the couch, you'll get to stare at the fire some more," She ran to the couch like a little child, then lay down. Austin grabbed the blanket from the back and spread it over her. "Goodnight."

Austin turned on his heel, and left the room. _Why do I sound like such a softy!_ Austin growled, and stormed into his bedroom, slamming the door shut behind him.

* * *

 **AN: Hi beauties :) Thank you to everyone that has reviewed, they all make me smile and I love that you're all enjoying this so much. I have the week off school, so I will try and get an chapter up sometime in the week for you all :)**

 **Song: Frances - Grow**

 **CookiesForMyTummy,x**


	4. Chapter 4

~ Chapter 4 ~

Austin had dropped Ally back at her apartment, and she had been met by her furious mom. She had received a lecture on how she couldn't disappear like that in the night, because she was a vulnerable person. Apparently she needed constant attention, and she needed to start talking, to keep her out of trouble.

 _That was how I ended up here, sat in a therapist's office._

Ally hated it. The woman had asked her so many questions. She had asked all the same questions they've all asked, but Ally wasn't going to respond. _What did she expect? For me to just start talking out of the blue!_ Ally's thoughts went back to Austin, and she wished her mind wasn't occupied with thoughts of him, but she couldn't help it. He was the only person that was treating her like she was normal, and her being mute wasn't an issue for him.

Trish was going to pick her up after this session, and they were meant to be going out for drinks again, but no matter how many times Ally shook her head and refused, they were somehow still going, and Ally didn't have a choice.

In places like that she always felt like she was being watch, _I probably am_. Ally shook the paranoia from her mind. She glanced at the therapist, and she fought off the urge to roll her eyes. She was beautiful, obviously. She made Ally feel about an inch small with one look, and she hated people like that.

She glanced at the clock, and saw that there was ten minutes left of her session. Ally wanted to scream at her mom, but she couldn't. It was getting dark outside, and Ally was getting tired. She wanted to go to bed, and sleep for hours and hours, but Trish had other plans.

…

Austin slipped into the booth, and his brother was sat opposite him with two girls on either side of him. Austin awkwardly sipped his beer, and he looked over at the bar. He would prefer to be sat there, away from his brother. Tyler had offered one of the girls to Austin, but he refused, and he didn't know why. He always had a reason, but this time he didn't.

Austin saw Kira walk up to the table. He frowned, and tried to ignore her, but she sat down next to him, practically landing in his lap. He had slept with her once, whist he'd been very drunk. It was a mistake, which he didn't want to make again.

She smiled over at him, and he nodded at her. He moved away from her slightly, but she reached over and grabbed his arm, giggling like a little girl. Austin's mind zoned out of reality and his mind went to Ally. He had woken up, and gone to check on her, only to find her curled up in a ball in front of the fire. _Why does she like fires so much?_

Austin had a lot of questions to ask her, but he was sure she'd been asked them many times before. He was just curious about her. _She wasn't mute by choice._ He didn't get it, was she naturally born that way, _did she just never learn to talk?_ He was beginning to have such an interest in her, and it was making him feel sick, it wasn't normal behavior from him.

"So, Austin," Kira purred. "Are you looking for company tonight?"

"Of course he is sweetcheeks," Tyler drawled, taking a sip of his beer.

"No," Austin grunted, and Kira grinned at him, running her hand over his chest. "C'mon, I enjoyed last time. I want to have fun again."

"How can you resist her pretty little face," Tyler laughed, and Austin narrowed his eyes at him. Tyler began to look over at something, and Austin glanced at Kira, who was continuing to brush her hand over his chest. "Isn't that the chick who was at our cabin last night? And the one from the park?" Austin looked over and he saw Ally staring right at him from the bar. She looked emotionally drained.

Ally quickly looked away from him, and he saw she was with her friend Trish. _She clearly doesn't want to be here, once again_. Austin moved Kira's hands away from him, and he said that he needed to get out. She groaned, then moved out of his way, and he made his way over to the bar where she was sat.

"Hi," He grunted, and she didn't look at him. Just acted like he wasn't there. _What the fuck?_ "Ally."

"Here's your water," Trish placed it down in front of her, then she looked at him.

"What are you doing here?" She tutted. "Harassing her?"

"Does she want to be here?" He questioned.

"Excuse me!" Trish snapped back, and he narrowed his eyes at her.

"Are you deaf?"

"No!"

"Well then, does she want to be here? Did she say no to come here?"

"Yes, but she needs to get out and socialize," Trish explained and he rolled his eyes.

"Why do you get to decide what she does!?" He growled, and she gasped.

"I'm her best friend, I'm practically family! Who are you, her dad!?" Trish yelled, and she immediately froze after when Ally's head whipped around to look at her with tears in her eyes. "Oh, Ally I'm sorry-" Ally got off the stool and she walked out of the bar. "Ally come back!" Austin pushed past Trish, and mumbled for her to leave Ally alone.

Austin followed her outside, and he stayed close behind her as she walked over to the park, and sat down on a bench. She didn't look his way as he sat down. He opened his mouth to say something, but he glanced at the distant look on her face, and his mouth fell shut, so they sat there in silence.

The look on her face made him understand that something was wrong, something deep down was wrong, and he didn't get why he cared about her being sad so much. It aggravated him, because he was acting so out of character towards a girl he's only known a few days. _This is getting out of hand._

He hated the way he was acting. It was making him freak out. Ally clearly had deep psychological issues, just like him, but hers were more than likely worse. He didn't know how long she's been mute for, but all he knew was, the way her friend Trish and her mom were treating her, wasn't right.

Austin looked back at her, and he saw that her head was in her hands. He could see her shoulders shaking, and it didn't take him long to realize she was silently crying into her hands. He went to touch her shoulder, but he stopped halfway, then placed his hand back on the bench.

 _What do I do? Maybe I should leave her alone._

"Do you want me to leave?" He asked, and she looked over at him, tears staining her cheeks. She pulled out her phone, and he watched her type away on it, then she handed it to him with a shaking hand.

 _There's someone watching us._

"What?" Austin looked away from the phone, and scanned the park through narrowed eyes. "Ally, I don't see anyone."

She took the phone from him and typed something else.

 _Who was that girl?_

"Oh…" Austin looked into her eyes, completely forgetting about what she'd said before. "She was nobody important."

 _That's horrible._

"It's the truth," He retorted, and she wiped her tears away.

 _I had to see a therapist today…_

"For the?"

 _Sixtieth time._

"Wow…have none of them succeeded?"

 _No._

"Do you always let Trish treat you like that?"

 _She cares. I know she does, but she pushes me too far, and I wish I could just disappear for a while._

Austin didn't respond, as an idea crossed his mind. He wanted to shake the thought from his mind, but it was just too much of a good idea, and he knew it would benefit her. He pictured her smiling at him, and he felt his cold heart beat a little faster. Again, it made him want to be sick.

"If it ever gets too much, you are welcome to come to my cabin," Austin mumbled, still unsure of what he was saying. Ally handed him her phone again.

 _I don't want to mess up your life. I've just go to deal with this on my own, and I'm sure you've got better things to deal with._

"My brother's the only problem I have…" He looked at her to see she was staring off into the bushes. He reached out and tapped her shoulder, then she moved away from him. Austin tried to brush it off, and pretend it didn't bother him, but it did. "Do you want me to take you home?"

Ally nodded her head, and got off the bench. They both walked side by side, and whenever Austin stepped too close, she stepped away from him. They walked in silence, and Austin could see the sadness on her face. They walked for around ten more minutes until they came to her apartment. Ally walked inside, and he wondered whether he should follow her or not, but he did anyway.

She unlocked the door to her apartment, and Austin stood in the doorway. There were five bookshelves filled with old books. There were more books on the coffee table in front of the couch, and there was a small dusty television on a small wooden table. She walked into the kitchen and she pulled out two bottles of water. She shook one in her hand as a question to whether he wanted one, and he nodded his head. She placed it down on the table, and she sat down on one of the chairs. Austin stepped in and shut the door behind, then made his way over the table.

Austin's mind rushed with so many questions, and he didn't want to stay in silence any longer, so he opened his mouth and started talking.

"You said you weren't mute by choice, so what's stopping you?" He asked, and she took a sip of her water. Ally grabbed her notebook from the counter, and she began to write on a page.

 _I know you're curious and I don't blame you, but I've already had to deal with a therapist today._

"I don't mean to pester you. It's just…I'd like to understand you…" Austin cringed at how sheepish he sounded, and he hated that he didn't want to use his sharp tone around her, but he knew if he did he'd feel guilty.

 _A lot of people try to understand me, but they all leave after…it becomes too much for them to bare. Even though my mom and Trish annoy me, they're the only people that have stuck around._

"Do I look like the type of person that will take off?" He questioned, and she stared at him innocently.

 _I don't know you._

"I know…you can ask me questions if you like."

 _That girl?_

"She's nobody."

 _She's just someone you had sex with, then regretted it the morning after?_

"How the fuck did you know that?" His voice was harsh, and he watched her flinched, then he coughed awkwardly. "I mean yes."

 _Do you get tired of chasing after your brother?_

"Yes, but he's my blood, and I'd follow him anywhere," Austin explained, and a small smile appeared on her face.

 _Even into danger?_

"Always."

 _I want to talk, but I can't._

"What's stopping you?"

She opened her mouth, and for a second Austin thought she was going to talk, but he heard the sharp intake of breath as she began to hyperventilate. She placed her hands in her hair, and Austin didn't know what to do. He slowly reached out and touched her shoulder, and for once she didn't move away. Her chest moved irregularly, and she looked pained to be breathing.

"Ally what is it?" She began to scratch her neck, and Austin reached out and grabbed her wrists. "Don't do that!"

She stared at him with wide teary eyes, and he wished for a second she'd open her mouth and talk, but what made him so special that she'd talk to him. He wasn't special, to her, he was just like everybody else, he was a person that would disappear after she told him everything, but there was voice deep down saying that he didn't have the heart to do it, and he truly believed it himself.

* * *

 **AN: Hi beauties! Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, they all made me smile :) For those of you wondering about what kind of route this story will be going in, I'm going to make it that they form a friendship first, so it's not straight into a romantic attraction. I want to focus on building the foundation of a friendship, and how they can both earn to trust one another, but then this will progress into a romantic relationship :)**

 **Song: Labrinth - Let it Be.**

 **CookiesForMyTummy,x**


	5. Chapter 5

~ Chapter 5 ~

Austin worked quickly on the truck in the garage. He kept brushing everyone off that kept trying to talk to him, because he had to get home quickly, but he didn't know why he was making such a big deal about it. _Yes you do know why you're making such a big deal about it, it's because Ally's coming_ , his inner voice taunted.

It had been a week since he had been at Ally's house, and he had told her she was welcome to come to his anytime, so she said she would, and today was the day she said she'd come. It had been on his mind all week, constantly irritating him, because he still didn't get why he couldn't stop thinking about her. This wasn't like him.

He slammed down the bonnet of the car, and everyone in the garage looked at him. The whole situation was making him angry, and again, he didn't know why. He walked over to his work bench and began to clean everything up. The sun was beginning to set, so he rushed out of the garage, and into his truck.

He drove off towards his cabin, and he glanced at himself in the rearview mirror. There was a smudge of dirt on his face, and his hands were almost black. There was something in his mind that was telling him he needed to clean up, because Ally was coming, _but why should I have to clean up because she's coming?_

Austin shook his head, and after a few minutes he pulled up outside his cabin. He got out of his truck, and walked inside the cabin. His brother walked out of his bedroom with a cigarette hanging from his mouth.

"I'm headin' out brother," Austin nodded his head, then Tyler walked out of the door.

Austin looked around the place, and saw rubbish scattered around, so he grabbed a trash bag from one of the cupboards. He picked up all the pieces of rubbish. The place was dusty in parts, as neither Austin nor Tyler were the cleaning type. He walked into the kitchen and checked the refrigerator. There was a few frozen meals in there, and of course, some beers.

Austin stepped outside, and dumped the trash bag at the bottom of the steps. He went back inside, then made his way over to the log pile in the far corner. He began to light a fire in the fireplace, and as the flames came to life, her face flashed before his mind. _I still don't get why she likes fires so much._

Two hours passed, and it started to rain, and thunder rolled through the dark clouds, then he heard the front step creak a few minutes later. He got to his feet, and walked over to the door. He pulled it open, and saw Ally standing there, soaking wet.

"Do you not own a coat?" He asked, and she shrugged her shoulders, then joy glistened in her eyes, and she ran past him, heading towards the fireplace. A small smile appeared on his face, and he shut the door. He grabbed the blanket from the back of the couch, and draped it over her shoulders. She stiffened slightly, then she nodded in thanks.

Austin walked back into the kitchen and got himself a beer. He just needed to relax. He walked back in, and sat down on the couch. She continued to gaze into the fire, and she pulled the blanket around her body.

"Why do you like the fire so much?" He asked, and she turned to look over at him. She opened her bag and pulled out her notebook, and pen. She got to her feet, keeping the blanket wrapped around her, and sat down on the couch. She began to scribble words down on the page, then she showed it to him.

 _It reminds me of happy memories._

"Oh," He glanced at the gentle smile on her face.

 _It might sound weird that I like fire, but it reminds me of my dad._

"Is he dead?" He asked, his voice cautious. "After what Trish said at the bar last week-" She nodded her head. "Oh."

 _We used to sit in front of the fire when I was younger, and he would read me my favorite book._

Austin didn't know what to say next. He felt like he'd pushed her too far into telling him something, but the fact that she told him, made him feel better. He glanced at the fire, and he watched her out the corner of his eyes.

There was a small smile on her face, and it reassured Austin that he hadn't upset her. She pulled the blanket around her, so she was wrapped up in a cocoon. A bolt of lightning struck outside, and Ally jumped. She moved closer to him, unconsciously, and stared out of the window with wide eyes.

"Do you not like lightening?" She shook her head frantically, so Austin got to his feet, and closed the curtains. She nodded in thanks, and he returned to sit next to her. She began to scribble down on the page, and she smiled down at it, then passed it to him.

 _My dad and I, we had a dream. He said that, one day when I was older we could move out of the city, and live on a farm. I've always wanted to live on a farm, and work on it. They're always so out of the way, and peaceful. But, now that he's gone, that dream has just turned into a memory._

"That sounds like a great dream," He grunted, and she smiled at him.

 _What about your parents?_

"That doesn't matter," He immediately cut her off, his voice harsh, just as another bolt of lightning struck outside, and she jumped away from him. "Ally," She shook her head, then held her notebook against her chest.

He felt like he was walking on hot rocks around her. He really didn't want to upset her, but he wasn't naturally nice to people. He naturally shut people out, it's just the way he is. _But, you want her to change that_ , his inner voice taunted again, and he rolled his eyes.

This situation was unusual to him, and he knew it was to Ally. He couldn't help the curiosity which she stirred in him. It wasn't every day you met a mute person, especially someone like her. He had always tried to hide his curious side, but with Ally it was different, she seemed so easy to talk to, but she was so fragile, and Austin has no experience with fragile people. He wasn't brought up that way.

Austin glanced at Ally, and saw she was looking over his shoulder. He turned around, and saw his mom's old piano covered up with a dirty white sheet. Ally got to her feet, and cautiously walked over.

Austin followed behind her. The sheet hadn't been taken off in years, he hated to look at it, but as Ally reached out to pull it off, he didn't have the heart to stop her, so he let it happen. It fell to the floor, and Ally sat down on the bench.

"Do you play?" His voice was rough as he asked her the question. She looked back at him, then nodded her head. She played a cord on the keys, and it echoed around the room. She began to play a smooth, enchanting piece of music, and Austin stared at the back of her head.

Visions of his mom appeared in front of him, and he hated that Ally was reminding him of her. He didn't want to think about her, but he did.

The door flung open, and crashed against the wall. The rain, thunder and lightning pounded around, and Ally jumped, falling off the bench. Tyler came stumbling in, pulling a drunken woman behind him. He began to kiss her sloppily, and guided her down the hallway and into his room. Austin glanced at the horrified look on Ally's face, then he shut the door, and held out his hand for her to take. She placed her trembling, cold hand into his, and he helped her to her feet.

The woman's moans could be heard from the room, and Ally shivered in front of him. He had told Ally she could come here when she wanted to get away, but Tyler wasn't going to give her the chance to relax. He grabbed his coat from the back of the couch, and he handed it to her. She looked up at him with a perplexed look.

"Put it on," He ordered, then he grabbed his keys from the kitchen. "C'mon," He opened up the door, and Ally grabbed her rucksack, then stood next to him. She looked scared as she stared out at the rain, but he knew it was the thunder and lightning, which was putting her on edge. He didn't know what to do to make her feel better.

He felt her hand on his. He looked down, trying to hide the shock on his face, but he didn't do a good job. She gripped onto his hand, _pull yourself together!_ He mentally scolded himself, then he gently squeezed her hand, and pulled her outside. They ran quickly towards his truck, and he unlocked the door, so they could get inside. He helped her in, then got in himself.

He didn't know where to take her. He knew she wouldn't want to go back to her apartment. An idea popped into his mind, and he drove off. They would have to wait for the rain to stop, but he knew a place that would put a smile on her face.

* * *

 **AN: Hi! Sorry about the wait. I know I keep telling you that I'm busy, and I am. I hate that I have to keep explaining to you guys why I haven't updated, it's just I am generally busy with school and work, then in the week the only free time I have is to do school work, and sleep. I just don't want you guys to think I'm not going to finish this story, because I am, and that's the same with Personal Assistant, which I will try to update soon. I didn't think I got a lot of reviews in the last chapter, but that doesn't really matter, I just like to know that people are interested in reading it.**

 **Anyway, thank you to those of you who did review. Now, with this story, I finally know when Ally will talk (Yes, she will eventually talk) and I can't wait to get there, but it will be awhile, it won't be any time soon, although it might motivate me to write more in the free time I manage to have, because I really want to get to that part, because I think it's going to be the cutest thing ever :)**

 **Song: Keane - Somewhere Only We Know.**

 **CookiesForMyTummy,x**


	6. Chapter 6

~ Chapter 6 ~

The sun was beginning to rise, and Ally could hear all the wildlife waking up. She bounded out of the truck door, and stared out at the open meadow. A stream ran through the middle, and she saw a deer drinking from the water. The grass rested below her knees, and she stared at the rising sun. _It's beautiful_.

Ally took off running towards the stream, and the deer scampered away. She crouched down, and poked her fingertips into the cold water, then she pulled them out, and glanced over her shoulder at Austin. He was leaning against the front of his truck.

They had driven for hours, but Ally had kind of enjoyed the journey. It had been filled with a comfortable silence, and she wasn't that scared of the thunder. _It was because he was there._ She pulled out one of the flowers, and she inhaled its heavenly scent. This place made her feel happy, it was like a safe haven, and Austin had brought her to it.

She got to her feet, and ran over to him. There was a faint smile on his lips, but his eyes showed his true happiness. She held out the flower for him to take, and a laugh escaped his lips. She felt her face begin to heat up, and she placed a hand over her heart, then pointed at him.

"Thank you?" He suggested, and she nodded her head. "For?" She gestured to the whole meadow. "I found this place a while ago. It's nice isn't it?" She shook her head and she pointed at the flower. "Pretty?" She shook her head again. "Beautiful?" She nodded her head, and smiled.

Ally leaned against the truck by Austin's side, and they both stared out at the meadow. Ally felt the morning sun begin to heat up everything in its path. She glanced at Austin, and saw the calm look on his face. _It's the first time I've seen him this relaxed._

Ally walked around the truck and opened the door to get her rucksack. She pulled out her notebook and pencil, then returned to Austin's side. Her feet began to ache on the uneven surface, and she could feel her lack of sleep catching up with her. Austin glanced at her, and saw how uncomfortable she was, so he held out his hand, and she looked up at him.

"C'mon, I'll help you up," She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, but she placed her hand, slowly, into his. He nodded to the bonnet of the truck, and he helped her to sit on it. She smiled at him, then opened up her notebook.

She stared at the rising sun, then began to draw the scenery in front of her. Austin sighed, and Ally didn't know whether it was from sadness, boredom, or from tiredness. He glanced her way, and she stared back at him blankly. _Was I boring him, because I couldn't speak?_

"I'm sorry about my brother," He spoke up, and she shrugged her shoulders. "You kind of just zone him out. I promised you that you could come to my place for somewhere to get away."

 _It's fine._ She wrote down on the page. _I might start coming here to get away_.

"Do you like it that much?" He asked, and she nodded her head.

 _I told you about my dad and I's dream. This place is what I imagine it like, just more animals, and more people._

"You'll get to live that dream soon, I'm sure you will," He said, and she shook her head. "You will."

 _I'm mute. I can't talk to people to get them to work for me. I'm too dependent on my mom and Trish._

"I'm good at practical things," He smiled, and she returned it. "I'm just joking, my brother would have the place stormed with drug dealers within a few days," Ally's smile faded, and she hated that everything seemed to be about Tyler. _It's like he can't live his life_.

She began to draw the things she could see again, and she just embraced the silence. There was something comfortable about it all, and she enjoyed that Austin made her feel like that, and not on edge, like everyone else made her feel.

Ally found it weird that she had probably passed Austin in the street before, and more than likely, terrified her, and now look at her. She was sitting in a meadow with him, and normally people like him scared her, but he didn't.

She felt like she was slowly coming out of her shell, and it was scaring her, because she hadn't known him for that long, but there was something about him, that made her feel at ease, _safe._

"Is life easier being mute?" Austin asked. Ally brought her pencil to her lips, and thought about it.

 _I guess you have time to collect your thoughts_ , she wrote down.

"Do you enjoy being mute?" She shook her head. "Why? I would."

 _Would you enjoy never being able to respond to the people that say horrible things to you, because by the time I've got my notebook out, they've walked away laughing their heads off._

Austin couldn't help, but laugh. She smiled back at him, then she glanced at some of the birds flying in the sky.

"I'd never thought I'd say this, but you're easy to talk to," That made her smile widen. "Can I ask you something?" She nodded her head. "I know I've asked you this before, but why are you mute?"

 _It's not that simple._

"We've got a lot of time," She shook her head. "C'mon-" She jumped down from the bonnet of the truck, and stormed over to the stream. She sat down in the grass, and stared furiously at the water.

Ally could feel his eyes on the back of her head, but she ignored him, and doodled on the pages in her notebook. She heard his footsteps crush the grass, and she clenched her jaw. He took a seat next to her, and stared mindlessly at the water.

"I didn't mean to offend you," He grunted, and she glanced at him.

 _I already told you I'm not mute by choice…it's just complicated._

"I'm sorry," He muttered. "Do you want me to take you home?" She nodded her head, and a frown appeared on his face.

 _I have to work._

"Okay," They both got up and walked over to the truck.

Austin drove off, and Ally glanced out of the back window, and saw the meadow fade away into the distance. She missed it already. They drove for ten minutes, until he pulled up outside of her apartment building.

The truck fell silent, and she looked over at him with innocent eyes. _This silence wasn't comfortable._ She scribbled something down on her notebook, then she ripped the page out, and folded it up. She handed it to him, then got out of the truck. Austin watched her leave, until she was inside of the building. He unfolded the piece of paper, and a small smile appeared on his face.

 _You ever need a place to get away from your brother. You know where I am._

…

 _Ten year old Ally was guided into the therapist's room. Her mom was holding her hand, her face exhausted and her eyes bloodshot. Ally sat down on the chair, and her mom sat down next to her. The therapist came in and sat down on the other side of the desk._

 _"_ _I've read over your situation, and I'm happy to help," She explained._

 _"_ _I don't know what to do," Penny croaked, her voice broken and strained. "She won't talk...she hasn't said a word since-" Tears welled in her eyes, and the therapist flashed her a gentle smile._

 _"_ _Ally," She spoke, but Ally kept her eyes glued to the floor. "I know it's hard…what happened to you wasn't nice, and those people will be brought to justice."_

Ally brought her head away from the car window, and she looked over at Trish, who was driving. It had been a few days since she had last seen Austin, and she didn't understand why she felt so lonely, even with Trish around.

 _It's because he gets me…sort of._

She had tried walking past where he worked, just to see if he was okay, but she never saw him, and it worried her. She hoped his brother hadn't gotten him into trouble.

She shifted in her seat, and they pulled up outside the diner. Ally got out, and breathed in the cold, night air. Trish led the way, and they walked inside the busy diner. A few heads turned when the bell rang above the door, and Ally felt her face heat up. They walked over to a booth, and Ally slid up to the window, and tried to hide herself from everyone.

"Are you okay?" Trish asked, and Ally nodded her head. "You seem a bit off."

She shrugged her shoulders, then grabbed the menu. She glanced down at it, and ignored Trish's burning gaze. A crash came from outside, and Ally glanced out of the window. She saw Tyler stumbling out of the trees nearby. He had a beer in his hand and a cigarette hanging out of his mouth.

"Ignore that piece of trash," Trish mumbled. "Pick something to eat."

Ally shook her head, then slid out of the booth. She ignored Trish calling after her, then walked out of the door. Tyler wandered around the car lot, like he was in his own little world, and as Ally slowly approached him, he turned to look at her.

"Sweetcheeks," He flung his arm over her shoulders, and she went ridged under his touch. "Were you in my cabin a few days ago?" She nodded her head, and he smiled. "Want me to kiss you like I kissed that chick?" He leaned in close to her, and she pushed his arm away from her, then stepped away from him.

"Don't touch her!" Trish came storming over her eyes burning with anger. "You're a piece of scum!" She grabbed Ally's arm and pulled her further away from him.

"Don't fuckin' touch my brother's girl!" Ally was yanked away from Trish, and she stared up at Tyler with wide eyes.

"Have you still been seeing that other piece of low life scum!" Trish yelled at her, and she looked at Trish with watery eyes, then nodded her head. "Do you not realize how bad he is? He'll take advantage of you!"

"Hey! My brother would never take advantage of no one!" Ally was pushed behind him, and Tyler began to square up to Trish.

Ally's looked around to see if there was anyone around to help, but there was no one there. _I can't exactly tell them to stop._ She walked over, and grabbed the back of Tyler's shirt, then pulled him back a little. She moved in between them both and she shook her head at her.

"Are you sticking up for this idiot!?" She screamed at her, and Ally flinched unintentionally. "I've had enough of this. I feel like you goddamn mother!" Trish stormed off, and Ally watched her go, with tears threatening to fall from her eyes.

"Who the fuck is that bitch?" Tyler slurred from behind her, and he took a sip from his beer. Ally's bottom lip began to quiver, then she took off running into the trees.

…

Austin collapsed onto his bed, and he slung his arm over his eyes. It was dark outside and he'd finished his late shift at work. He was covered in sweat, dirt and oil. _I should shower, but I'm just too tired._ His mind seemed to drift off to the thought of Ally. He hadn't seen her in a few days, and he had secretly walked past her apartment a few times, but he never saw her.

 _Maybe I should go and see her. She said I was welcome anytime._

He was just too tired to do that right now. He heard the front door fly open with a bang, and he growled, then got up from his bed, and walked out into the hall. Tyler stumbled over to the couch and flopped onto it.

Austin dragged his heavy feet down the hall, and leaned against the wall, staring daggers at his brother. _He was drunk, just like usual._

"Your girl…" He slurred, then he sighed heavily.

"My girl?" He questioned, not knowing what he was on about.

"The mute one," He grumbled. "She went running off into the woods. Her lunatic friend screamed at her."

Austin grabbed his coat from the back of the couch, then walked out of the cabin. He disappeared into the trees, and walked towards the meadow. It was so quiet, and he could hear the nightlife buzzing.

After a few minutes he arrived at the boarder of the meadow. He could see her sat down by the stream running through the middle. Her shoulders were shaking, and her hair tumbled in front of her face. He walked over to her, and he stood behind her.

"Ally," He whispered, and she froze, then slowly turned around to look at him. "Tyler told me what happened, sort of."

She looked away from him, so he sat down next to her. "Did Trish shout at you?" She nodded her head. "Do you have anything to write on?" She shook her head, then she appeared to be in deep thought. She glanced at him, then down at his arm. She nervously reached out her hands towards his arm, but she froze before she touched him, then looked into his eyes. He slowly nodded his head, and she grabbed his arm and pulled up his sleeve. He felt the tips of her fingers touch his bare skin, and he felt a warm sensation rush through his body. He then realized she was drawing letters on his arm with her finger.

 _Trish didn't like Tyler. She said horrible things._

"He's a horrible person."

 _He defended me._

"He defended you?" She nodded her head, and a small smile fell on his lips. "Do you want me to take you home?"

 _Can we stay here a little longer?_

"Sure."

* * *

 **AN: Hi! I'm sorry about the wait, I've just been doing a lot of overtime at work. Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, so please review this one. In the next chapter Ally is going to invite Austin around to her apartment for dinner :)**

 **Song: Florence and The Machines - Breath of Life.**

 **CookiesForMyTummy,x**


	7. Chapter 7

~ Chapter 7 ~

Ally pushed her shopping cart down the aisle, and grabbed the food she wanted from the shelf. She had just finished work at the library, and it hadn't been a fun ordeal. That little girl had come back, returning another book, then getting a new one, _luckily her mom wasn't there again._

It had been a few more days since she'd last seen Austin, but she was on her way to see him now, to ask him something. She didn't know why she was doing this, and she didn't have the slightest idea where this confidence was coming from.

She had visited the meadow a lot over the last three days. It was such a peaceful place, and it made Ally feel calm. _Austin makes me feel calm._ Ally shook her head, then pushed her cart towards the checkout.

Ally hadn't heard from Trish, which made her sad, because she was her only friend. She didn't understand what she had been doing wrong to make Trish feel that way, but she couldn't have a heart to heart with her, since she couldn't talk.

"Hey, dollface, " Ally turned around and saw Tyler behind her. Her eyes widened slightly, and she began to panic a little. "Your bitch of a friend isn't around, is she?" Ally shook her head. "Good…what's with this mute thing, are you just shy?" Ally shrugged her shoulders, wanting him to let it go. "What's with all this food, you are just one tiny person...have you got a special friend coming around?" Ally's face began to heat up, and she shook her head. "My baby brother ain't doing much tonight." Ally backed away one step. "Is he coming around?" She shrugged her shoulders, and he pointed his finger at her. "He's at work right now, if you want to run your nice little ass over to him," She looked at him with a mortified look on her face, but there was a voice in the back of her head, saying there was some niceness, somewhere in that sentence. "Do you need some help?" Ally stared at her shopping cart, then she looked back at him. "I can be nice," Ally nodded her head, then after a few minutes, and rambled sarcastic comments from Tyler, they were walking out of the grocery store.

Tyler looked around the car lot, and she began to grab the bags from the shopping cart, then he furrowed his eyebrows.

"Where are you going?" He asked, and she nodded down towards the sidewalk. "You're walking, with all those bags?" She nodded. "My baby brother would kill me if I let you do that," He snatched the bags from her, and walked towards his truck. Ally stayed standing where she was, and stared blankly at his back. "C'mon," She took a hesitant step forward, and edged closer to the truck door. "I don't bite."

He put the bags on the backseats, and she quickly got into the passenger seat. He got inside, and drove out of the car lot. Ally found it strange, _he was being nice_. She thought back to when he had called her Austin's girl, she tried to ignore how it had made her feel, _it made me feel good._

All watched Tyler drive past her apartment building and she gestured for him to stop, but he carried on going, ignoring her. Her eyes widened, and she stared out of the window. _Where is he going?_ A few minutes later, he pulled up outside of Austin's work. Her eyes went even wider, and Tyler got out of the truck, then opened the door.

"C'mon," He held out his hand, and she shook her head. "Don't you want to talk to my brother, he's been a bit down-" She got out of the truck, and she heard Tyler laughing to himself. She stopped on the sidewalk, and stared at the people working inside.

"What are you doing here?" Austin walked out from the garage, and her mouth fell open a little. "Tyler," He appeared next to her, and she stepped away from him.

"Mute has something she wants to ask you," Ally narrowed her eyes at the nickname he used, then she stared into Austin's eyes.

"Come inside," Austin nodded behind him, and Tyler walked up to him. "Not you," Ally followed after him, and they walked through the main part of the garage, and into the kitchen. He wiped his hands clean with the rag in his pocket.

"Hey, Ally," She looked at Dez who was sat at the island in the middle of the kitchen. "How are you?" She nodded at him, and Dez smiled at Austin.

"Fuck off," He grumbled, and Dez left with a smile on his face. "I don't have anything for you to write on-" She grabbed his wrist, and began to trace the letters onto his forearm. "Dinner?" She nodded her head. "You want me to have dinner with you?" The way he said it made her heart drop to the floor. "I'd like that," There was a small smile on his face, and she let go of his wrist. "My brother isn't too much to handle, is he?" She shook her head. "You get used to him, but I trust him enough to know he'd never do anything to hurt you. He may not seem sane, but he isn't that crazy," Ally smiled at his comment, then she looked at the clock on the wall. She walked over, and pointed to the number '8'. "Do you want me to be at your apartment for eight o'clock?" She nodded. "Okay."

"Oh my god that was so hard to listen to," Tyler walked in, and Austin growled. "I'll take her home."

…

Ally bit the side of her thumb, falling back into her bad habit. She was crouched down in front of the oven, staring at the food inside. She had been like this for around fifteen minutes. Her anxiety was getting the better of her, and now she didn't know what to do. She'd never cooked for anyone before, _what if he hates it._

She was making lasagna, it was her dad's recipe. She sighed at the thought of her dad, then brought her thumb away from her mouth. Ally had cleaned up her apartment a bit, but cleaning didn't sooth her anxiety. She had set the table, and she was just waiting for the food to finish, and for Austin to arrive.

She had, had a nap in between her anxiety filled hours, and she couldn't get the nightmare out of her head. It was torture.

 _"_ _C'mon, you little brat!" He screamed, and she was flung over his shoulder._

 _"_ _DADDY!" She screeched._

 _"_ _He's gone, now shut up!" He shook her violently, and walked down the hall._

 _"_ _My daddy," She whimpered._

 _"_ _IS DEAD! Now shut the fuck up," She shuddered over his shoulder, and her hot tears burnt her cheeks. "This will be the last time you open your mouth to speak, cry, or make any of them pathetic whimpering noises. Trust me, if you open your mouth ever again, I'll kill the only family you have left."_

 **KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.**

Ally stood up quickly, and walked over to the door. She opened it up slowly, and stared at Austin on the other side.

"Hi," He grunted, and she let him inside. She walked into the kitchen and he followed her. "Are you okay?" She nodded her head, then sighed. "Ally?" She pointed to her head. "Headache?" She shook her head, then grabbed his arm, and traced the letters. "Nightmare?" She nodded, and he opened his mouth to say something, but stopped.

Ally crouched back down in front of the oven, and rested her chin on her knees. Austin copied her actions, and stared at her. "Lasagna, I like it," Ally smiled a little, and he looked at the sad look on her face. "I can go-" She shook her head frantically, then the alarm went off on the oven, and she pulled the door open. Austin grabbed her wrist before she could take it out. "I'll do it," He grabbed the oven gloves, and took the tray out. "Sit down," He ordered, and for some reason she obeyed.

Ally took a seat, and Austin served up the food. "Do you want some water?" She nodded her head, and he made her some. When it was placed down in front of her, she chugged half of it down. He forked a mouthful of the lasagna, and she cringed when it went in his mouth. "It's good," Her face softened, and she began to eat her food.

They ate in silence, but it was comfortable, until her neighbors started arguing. Ally jumped when something was smashed, and she got to her feet quickly. "Where are you going?" He asked, grabbing her wrist. She nodded towards the noise. "I don't think you should interfere." The screaming got louder, and she looked up at him with wet eyes. "Okay, c'mon," He grabbed her hand, and he pulled her out of the apartment. They walked across the hall, and he banged on the door. The shouting stopped, and heavy footsteps got closer to the door, then it flung open. Ally jumped back, and Austin stood in front of her.

"What!" He snapped, and Austin growled.

"Keep the noise down!" Austin snapped back. "No one wants to listen to your fuckin' life problems. Now shut the fuck up before I make you." Ally gripped the back of Austin's top, and she looked down the hallway and her eyes widened.

Austin didn't see him, he was to distract, as he continued to argue with her neighbor. He stood at the end of the hall, dressed all in black. He held the knife in his hand, then he slowly brought it up to his lips, and shushed her. She blinked and in an instance he was gone, and Ally ran into her apartment, slamming the door behind her. She collapsed onto the floor, and turned the lock on the door.

Her heart was hammering in her chest.

 _He's back._

* * *

 ** _AN: Hi! I know this chapter is short and I am very tired right now because being at school and having a job is a massive load to carry, but I'm not going to stop writing. I wish I could get more chapters out to you, but I just don't have the time at the moment, so thank you to all of my very patient readers. I do break up from school in two weeks, so I will get the chance to write some more, so hopefully you won't have to wait to long in between chapters whilst I'm off school :)_**

 ** _Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, please let me know what you think about this one :) In the next chapter, Ally disappears :(_**

 ** _CookiesForMyTummy,x_**


	8. Chapter 8

~ Chapter 8 ~

"Ally, please, open the door," Austin knocked gently on the door, and she heard him slide down it, so he was sat on the floor. Ally's chest heaved for oxygen, and she bit down hard on her bottom lip. She staggered to her feet and walked over to the window. She pushed it up, then climbed out onto the fire escape. She glanced back at the door, then turned away, climbing down to the ground.

Austin stood up and glared at the door. "Ally, open the door," He said more harshly, then he banged his fists against the wood. "Ally, c'mon!" He glanced down the hall and saw no one there. _What had freaked her out so much?_ "Ally, open the door!" He shouted. "If you don't open the door, I'll kick it down!" With no signal or any sound of movement, Austin lifted up his foot and slammed it against the door. It flew off its hinges and crumbled on the floor.

Austin stepped inside and stared at the open window. He ran over and climbed out onto the fire escape. He looked around, and in the distance, he could see Ally running away. "Ally!"

Austin pulled out his cell phone from his back pocket and called Tyler. "Where are you?"

"I'm at…some chick's house, why?" He replied.

"Ally's run off, and I need you to help me find her," He explained, and Tyler laughed.

"What did you do?" He chuckled, and Austin growled.

"Fuck all!" He snapped. "Tyler, just help me."

"I'm sorry, but this chick is about to get down and dirty on my dick, so I'm going to pass," He hung up, and Austin stared at his phone in disgust.

"Bastard," He grumbled, then climbed back inside. He shut the window behind him and saw Ally's cell phone on the counter. He debated in his mind whether he should call her mom or Trish, but he didn't want to cause a massive scene.

He sighed and began to pace her apartment. He ran his hands over his face, then glanced out of the window. _Why had she been so scared?_

Austin walked out of her apartment building and he looked up at the night sky, just as it started to pour down with rain. He sighed and walked down the sidewalk. He felt the rain get heavier, so he got into his truck and drove off.

A thought crossed his mind, _I don't know her at all_. He didn't know what had scared her back in the hall, but it must have been something serious.

The wiper blades flung the rain from the front window of his truck, but it was soon replaced by heavy pellets of rain. He squinted through the darkness, but he couldn't find her.

He drove towards the woods and went down the gravel road. _Maybe she went to the meadow?_ Austin pulled up out of the front of his cabin, and he looked around. The ground was forming into a thick bog, and he knew his truck wouldn't make it through the woods without getting stuck. He grabbed his coat from the back seat, then put it on. He stepped out of his truck, and pulled his hood over his head, then took off towards the meadow.

Austin stood in the middle of the meadow and looked around. The rain had soaked through his coat, but he still couldn't see her. _She had said she'd liked this place so much._ He squinted through the darkness, but his eyes failed him.

"Ally!" He called out. "Ally, c'mon!" He shouted, but his voice was a mere whisper compared to the sound of the rain. _Maybe I should head back to her apartment and see if she's gone back?_

Austin knew he couldn't go home and go to sleep, because he needed to know that she was safe, and he hated that she was making him feel this way, because he honestly didn't know what to do with himself.

He walked back into the woods and left the meadow behind him. He dragged his feet through the thick mud and griped onto the trees for support as the wind began to pick up. Austin became more worried, as he realized if she'd fallen over, then she couldn't call for help, and she would be stuck wherever she was.

He pushed himself faster, until he came out onto the edge of town. Trashcans were rolling around and spilt rubbish flew in the wind. He frantically looked around, swallowing the lump in the back of his throat. _What if I don't find her? Shit!_

He ran down the sidewalk and raced towards her apartment building. He ran inside and stumbled into her apartment. It was just how he had left it, empty. His eyes landed on her cellphone, so he picked it up and saw numerous messages from her mom asking if she was safe because of the storm.

 _Maybe I should tell her what's wrong?_ Austin pulled his damp hood from his wet hair, and ruffled his blond strands with his fingers. He stared out at the storm and tried to think of anywhere else she would run off too, but he couldn't think of anywhere. _I clearly don't know her at all._

Austin unlocked her phone and pressed on her mom's number. "Hi Ally-Wait, why would you be calling, who is this?"

"It's her friend," Austin said and Penny scoffed.

"What's your name? She clearly hasn't mentioned you!"

"Austin Moon."

"Why do I recognise...is your brother Tyler Moon?" Austin hummed in response. "You stay away from my daughter! I'm not having someone like you around her!"

Austin flinched at her words, and he bit down on his bottom lip to restrain his growl. "She's run off."

"What?"

"We were out in the hall and she saw something and it freaked her out, then she ran off," He explained.

"Not this again," Penny whispered. "I'm sick of her making up that she sees him, he's in jail!"

"Who does she see?" Austin questioned. "Her dad?"

"Of course not! She thinks she saw the man that killed her dad."

Austin's whole body stiffened at her words. "I thought her dad died-"

"My husband was murdered, he didn't just die," She explained. "The poor girl witnessed it all..." She sighed. "Anyway, I want you to leave my daughter alone...wait you do know a bit about her...and she wouldn't let someone she didn't trust into her apartment...so she must trust you," Penny carried on talking to herself, but Austin ignored her and stared at the bare wall.

 _She saw her dad get murdered...fuck._

"If she's run off before, where does she usually go?" He asked.

"Her dad's grave," She replied.

"Okay, I'll go and get her," Austin hung up and left her apartment.

...

Austin walked up to the local cemetery and his feet sunk into the mud. The rain continued to pour and he squinted through the storm. He saw Ally up ahead, sitting in the mud in front of a grave. Her fingers were buried into the mud and she looked as if she was clinging on for dear life. He slowly approached her from behind and he heard the sound of her cries.

"Ally..." He spoke and she froze, then glanced over her shoulder to look at him. Her whole body was shivering and her lips were blue. "Ally, c'mon you need to come inside, you'll catch hypothermia out here."

Her bottom lip quivered and Austin crouched down next to her. He checked her over, then he noticed that her ankle was swollen and bruised.

"Did you fall?" She nodded her head, then looked at the grave. "Ally what did you see back in the hall?" She shook her head frantically. "Ally," He reached out and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Ally, there wasn't anyone there," Her bottom lip trembled and Austin felt an unfamiliar pang in his chest. She looked so broken and he didn't know what to do. "Shall I take you home?" She shook her head. "Ally whatever you think you saw, isn't there anymore…c'mon, I'll take you back to mine," She glanced at her ankle, then Austin scooped her up into his arms.

Ally's head rested against his damp shoulder, and he carried her out of the graveyard. He began the trek home, and he held onto her tight. He heard the sniffles come from Ally, and he knew that she would have a terrible cold after, but he couldn't help notice that she had suddenly become calm since he picked her up. She had seemed so broken sitting in front of her dad's grave.

He walked into the woods, and they were sheltered slightly by the leaves on the trees, but it didn't help a lot. She moved her head, so she was looking up at him. He glanced at her and he felt himself glued to her big brown eyes. She leaned forward and pressed her lips against his cheek, then she pulled away resting her head against his shoulder. He stared down at her, then shook his head, and carried on walking to his cabin.

When he saw it up ahead, he ran up the steps, and kicked open the door. The fire was already lit, and he saw his brother stumbling into his bedroom. Austin walked over and placed Ally down in front of the fire. He grabbed the blanket from the back of the couch, then draped it over her shoulders. She smiled sweetly at him, then she extended her arms and warmed up her hands over the fire. He stood up and watched her contently.

He stood there for a few minutes, just watching her, and wondering about the new feeling flourishing in his chest.

* * *

 **AN: Sorry for the wait! I hope you've all had a great Christmas and I hope you enjoyed this chapter, so thank you to everyone who reviewed, and please do the same for this one :)**

 **Song: James Bay - Hold Back the River.**

 **CookiesForMyTummy,x**


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: Hi...I'm so sorry about the very long hiatus. I just stopped being motivated to write after I was diagnosed with depression and I'm currently on medication for it and for my sever anxiety disorder. I know that doesn't excuse the fact that I haven't updated, but I lost interested in writing anything about romance, because a GIANT fuckboy came into my life, and messed it all up, and made me feel worse about myself. So, I went through my stage of not even wanting to think about anything to do with romance, but I'm back and have forgotten about the stupid little boy!**

 **Anyway, I hope you guys can all forgive me and I hope you're all still out there. Love you all :)**

 **CookiesForMyTummy.**

 **Song: James Blunt - Bonfire Heart.**

* * *

~ Chapter 9 ~

Ally opened her eyes and she slowly sat up. She wasn't in her room and she definitely wasn't on her bed. She looked around at the bland room and stared at the minimal amount of furniture. Her nose began to tingle and she sneezed into her hands, then a harsh cough came from her mouth and sliced at her throat like razors.

Everything came flooding back to her. How she saw him in the hall and how Austin had found her at her dads grave.

 _I must be in his bedroom._

Ally coughed again and she winced in pain, as her head began to pound.

"SHUT UP!" A loud voice hollered from across the hall and Ally recognised it was Tyler's voice. She heard the floorboards creak on the other side of the door opposite her, then it slowly opened and Austin walked in.

She pulled the blanket up to her chin, then rubbed her nose with the back of her hand.

"That wasn't a smart thing to do," He stated and Ally frowned. "I get that something has happened to you, but damn girl, you could have caught worse than a cold."

Ally flinched at his tone and she saw a hint of guilt flicker on his face, but he soon masked it with his usual scowl. She coughed again and he walked over to the bed, then sat down.

"I called your mom and she knows you're here with me...I talked to her on the phone and I found out about your dad..." He looked at her with a sympathetic look. "I know your saw him die."

Ally reached out and thumped his arm. "Ow! What the hell!?" He hollered.

She pointed at his face and shook her head. "What about my face?" He asked confused. She grabbed his wrist and traced letters on his forearm. "Sympathy?" He said. "Oh..."

She stared at him with sad eyes, then let go of his arm and he glanced down at the floor.

"Do you want me to take you home?" He asked and she shook her head.

 _I don't want to go back there...ever._

Ally bit her lip and Austin nodded his head slowly. She shivered, then sneezed. She felt a weird sensation run throughout her body, there was something about this place that made her feel calm and safe, even though it was out in the middle of nowhere. It felt like home.

"I've got some cold medicine," Austin said and she smiled at him. "I'll go and get it for you."

Ally watched him leave and she relaxed into Austin's bed. _It's comfy_. Compared to the rest of his cabin, his bed wasn't as rough and broken as she'd expected it to bed. She heard heavy footsteps and Tyler walked passed, then he paused and returned to the doorway.

"Baby girl! Are you the one making all the noise?" He leaned against the doorway and winked at her. She nodded her head and he grinned. "That pretty face of yours is looking pale?"

Ally didn't know what it was, normally she would view someone like him as an animal, but he wasn't that bad if you looked beyond his flaws.

"Did you spend the night with my brother?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

 _Oh my god, he thinks we-NO!_

She shook her head violently, and Tyler walked away laughing to himself. Austin soon appeared again with some cold medicine and a bowl of soup. He placed them down on the bedside table and she smiled at him.

"This is the best I can do," He said. She reached out and placed her hand over his heart. "Thank you?" She nodded her head, then grabbed the bowl of soup.

"Brother!" Tyler shouted, and Austin immediately growled. "There's some mad ass woman running up the cabin. She's with that Latina chick from the carlot!" Ally realized that he must be talking about Trish and her mom. Austin got to his feet and walked out of the room.

The sound of a door being opened made Ally get to her feet. She winced from the pain in her foot, but slowly padded over to the doorway and glanced down the hall.

"Where's my daughter!" Penny snapped, and Ally began to walk over. "There you are! C'mon, let's go!" Ally shook her head. "What do you mean no?"

"It means she doesn't want to go lady," Tyler was leaning against the doorway which led to the kitchen.

"You didn't see him!" Penny yelled and Ally flinched. "He's in prison. Ally this is getting ridiculous, you need to get over this silly little faze. I'm sick and tired of having to deal with your mess. I lost my husband!"

"And she lost her dad," Austin's voice was harsh, and Ally glanced at the disgusted look on his face. She edged towards him, wanting to be near him.

"You have no idea what happened," Trish spoke up. "Ally, we love you, but this is getting stupid. You can't live a normal life this way."

"She can live her life however she wants to," Tyler scoffed and Penny glared at him.

"You haven't known these people for long. You don't want to bring them down with your problems. They won't be able to deal with it," Penny tried to reach out to grab her, but Ally moved behind Austin, so she was protected by his body.

"Does she ask you to deal with her not talking?" Austin asked. "Her not talking isn't a problem, so don't call it that. I'm guessing she didn't ask you to look after her all the time, but I bet you do it because you love her. Ally is not going to bring me down with her not talking, I can speak for myself and I'm telling you that if she doesn't want to go back to her house. She can stay here with me."

Ally placed her trembling hands on his back, and she glanced around him to see her mom staring at Austin in shock.

"Do you want to live with him?" Trish questioned and Ally inhaled sharply, then nodded. "Penny, let's come back tomorrow and talk to her."

Penny grumbled, then stormed out of the cabin. Trish followed and Tyler shut the door behind them with a satisfied grin on his face.

"Dollface, how do you even deal with those people," He walked back into the kitchen and Austin turned around to face her.

"Are you okay?" His face had softened and she didn't think about it. She just threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. He stiffened for a second, then relaxed. She hugged him for a couple of seconds then stepped away from him. A cough tore from her lips and he laughed.

"You need to take some cold medicine."

…

"Okay, now this is when things start to get good dollface," Ally was sat cross-legged on the woodland floor, and Tyler was sat opposite her, but with a dead deer between them. Austin was at work and she'd been resting for most of the day, but Tyler had woke her up and asked if she wanted to see something cool. _I'm pretty sure he meant to say gruesome. He's going to skin the deer._

Tyler pulled out his knife and a huge grin appeared on his face. "You ain't squeamish are ya girl?"

She nodded her head.

"Okay, if you feel like you're gonna' hurl, do it over there and not on my kill," He ordered and she nodded again. "Right, firstly…"

Tyler trailed off, telling her how she should skin the deer, and she watched him start the process. Her stomach turned a little, and she coughed. Her cold had eased a little with help from the cold medicine and soup, but it wasn't gone entirely.

Tyler was starting to grow on her. He seemed like a scary man, but he was nice to her. She liked the way he called her 'dollface', _you wish Austin had a pet name for you_ , her inner voice taunted.

 _No I don't!_

 _Yes you do!_

 _Shut up!_

Ally tried to fight the smile from her face, but she couldn't stop it from forming, and she beamed over at Tyler. He was too lost in his work with the deer to notice, but she moved closer to watch him work.

 _Maybe I could make something with the meat as a thank you for letting me stay here._

She tapped Tyler's shoulder and he looked at her. She pointed at the deer then acted like she was eating food. He furrowed his eyebrows trying to work out what she meant, then he smiled.

"You want to eat it?" He offered and she nodded, then pointed at him. "For me? Oh, do you want to cook it for me…Dollface my baby brother wouldn't like you and I having a dinner date-" She smiled at his sarcasm, and shook her head. "Do you want to cook something for Austin and I," She nodded her head. "That would be great, I can't remember the last time we had a nice cooked meal."

They stayed outside for another hour, with Ally just watching him butcher the deer. She had started to feel like she was going to be sick, but she fought off the feeling. She was in the kitchen making a deer pie. She had found the ingredients she needed, and she was covered in flour. It reminded her of what it was like before she couldn't talk.

She would always bake things with her dad and they would get covered in the food, then never finish because they got into a food fight. It was happy memories like that which kept her going. Maybe one day she would be able to talk again, but she knew it wouldn't be soon. They were always watching her, she felt it everywhere she went. He wasn't in prison, she had seen him in the hallway outside her apartment. _He was real._

Ally pushed the negative thoughts out of her mind and she rushed around the kitchen. Tyler had cut the deer up into the pieces that she needed, then left to go to the grocery store because Ally had made him a list of things they needed in general.

She wasn't sure how long had passed, but the pie was now in the oven and she was sat at the table, flicking through a book she had found. The door opened and Austin walked in carrying two bags from her apartment. He walked over and placed them on the table.

"I went to your apartment and grabbed some of your things," He said, then he sniffed. "What's that smell? Do you know you're covered in flour?" She smiled and pointed at the oven. He crouched down and looked at the pie. "You made a pie?" She nodded and he sat down opposite her. "Why?" She opened up one of the bags and saw her notebook. She pulled out her pen and scribbled on the piece of paper.

 _I made it to say thank you for letting me stay here_.

"You don't need to thank me," He responded.

 _I do. You're the first person who hasn't acted like I have an illness_.

"I don't really like your mom," He grumbled and she smiled.

 _I understand that she cares about me, but she treats me like a child._

"I know. You can stay here for as long as you like, well until you get bored of me."

 _I won't get bored of you. You're the only friend I've made since I stopped talking_.

"Is it really that bad?" He asked.

 _People just think I'm being rude when I don't respond, so they tend to not want to try to get to know me._

"I like quiet people."

 _Good, I'm glad_.

"Good," He breathed out and she started back at him innocently. His mind went back to when she had hugged him and he tried not to think too much into it, but he couldn't get it out of his mind. He had gotten this warm feeling in his chest and he hated that it had ended so soon. He wanted to hug her again.

 _If I do get too much to deal with, please tell me._

"I like having you around," She seemed taken aback by his response, and he wondered if he'd said something wrong.

 _I like having you around as well._

He smiled at her and she beamed back at him. Tyler flung open the front door and ruined the moment.

"Where's my pie, dollface!"


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: Hi! Thank you to AzaleaLee, Dont-Stop-Believin, Jade, phia514 and the guests who reviewed. Thank you for all the love and support you have given me, it really means a lot :)**

 **SONG: Dog Days - Florence and The Machines.**

 **CookiesForMyTummy,x**

* * *

~ Chapter 9 ~

Ally stood on the back porch as she watched Austin cleaning his motorcycle. It was a Harley-Davidson bike, and she watched the gentle look on his face. _He looked at peace_.

It had been a couple of days since she moved in and her mom had never came back. Ally wasn't going to take it to heart, because she was having fun here. Tyler hadn't come home drunk since she moved in and she saw that as a good sign.

Ally had shared a lot of innocent moments with Austin; like the one in the kitchen, and she had found out that Austin and Tyler had moved a lot of times because Tyler always got into trouble.

 _I hope they don't have to move again..._

Ally sat down on the steps and rested her chin in the palm of her hand. He glanced over at her and smiled.

"I'm going to go for a ride in a minute, do you want to come?" He asked and she nodded her head, then raced over to him. She reached out and brushed her fingers against the leather seat and Austin watched her contently.

"Have you ever been on a bike?" He asked and she shook her head. "It's...relaxing."

Ally smiled at him and he felt his heart beat faster. He knew he shouldn't react this way because he was older than her and she was too fragile. But, he couldn't help the caring feeling that consumed him every time she smiled at him.

She continued to look up at him and he felt like he was a magnet being drawn to her. He quickly pulled himself away and diverted his gaze from hers.

"Where do you want to go?" Ally shrugged her shoulders. "Anywhere?" She nodded and Austin climbed on the bike and held out his hand to help her straddle the bike. He felt her chest press up against his back and he stiffened slightly. Her small hands rested on his stomach and he could feel her warm breath by his ear.

Austin turned on the bike and it rumbled to life, then they sped off down the dirt road. They passed thousands of trees and Ally watched everything pass quickly.

She began to think about the new freedom she had gained. Yesterday, Austin had dropped her off at work, then she had happily walked home back through the woods.

 _Home...this place is home._

It was the closest she was going to get to her dream of living on a farm. That was her dream, but that's all it was, _a dream_. She wanted to wake up early in the morning and listen to the animals, then she wanted to race out into the fields and tend to them all. She wanted to grow her own crops and make her own food. She just wanted a life which she could be proud of.

When Austin had said he'd work for her. She thought he'd been joking, but he was starting to appear in her dream and she didn't know what to think about it. She didn't even know how Austin saw her. _What if he doesn't even see me as a friend? What if he is just pitying me?_ So many thoughts rushed through her head, but she shook her head, and held on tighter to him.

Austin drove into town and Ally wondered where they going, but after a couple of minutes he pulled up outside a diner. The bike came to a stop and Austin got off first and held out his hand for her. She placed her hand in his with a smile and she got off the bike. Her legs ached a little and they walked inside.

A waitress showed them to a booth and her eyes lingered on Austin. Ally felt a surge of jealousy rush through her, _I have no right to be jealous_. The woman handed them some menus and she slowly left.

"Tyler and I have some business to take care of tonight," He said, and she looked away from the menu. "We won't be back until the early morning," Ally raised an eyebrow at him, _what business?_ "I told you that my brother gets himself into a lot of trouble…well, he owes someone some money and I need to sort it out, so we don't have to move again. I'm happy here."

She nodded her head, and flashed him a weak smile. She wasn't happy that he was having to clean up Tyler's mess, but she knew that he didn't have a choice. The waitress soon returned and she took their order, and Ally pointed out what she wanted on the menu, so Austin could say it for her. They waited for their food and sat in a comfortable silence, and when the waitress returned with the food, she left behind a napkin with her number on.

Ally looked at him, and she watched as he scrunched up the napkin and pushed it to the side. _I wonder if that's what he did with the napkin I gave him the first time we met._ His eyes met hers.

"I'm not interested," He said and he took a bite out of his burger. She didn't know how to react to what he said, but she chose to ignore it.

…

Austin and Tyler had left a couple of hours ago, and it was almost midnight. Ally was sat in front of the fire, thinking about all of the memories she had of her dad. She was feeling lonely, and she wished Austin was here, but she understood that he had business to take care of.

She got to her feet, and she walked into Austin's bedroom. She had been sleeping on the couch whilst she'd been staying here, but she wanted something comfortable to sleep on; Austin wouldn't be back until early in the morning, so there shouldn't be a problem.

She jumped on the bed and curled herself up into a ball. She forgot to turn the light off, but she wasn't comfortable with being in the dark, _not without Austin around_. She felt herself beginning to drift off to sleep, but the sound of her cell phone going off, pulled her away from sleep.

Ally got to her feet, and walked out of the bedroom. She grabbed her phone from the couch and saw she had a picture message from Trish.

 _I thought you should know that he really doesn't care about you…_

Underneath was a picture of Austin kissing the waitress from earlier, and Ally felt her heart drop to the floor. She had no right to feel this way, but she couldn't help it. He was the only person who had shown any interest in her.

Tear stung at her eyes and she dropped the phone and rushed around the cabin, collecting her things. When she had everything in one bag, she took off out the front door and into the trees. She clutched her cell phone in her hand and sprinted all the way back to her apartment.

When she arrived, she saw her door was hanging off the hinges from when Austin kicked it down. She pulled her toolkit from the cupboard and she began to screw it back onto the doorframe. She messaged her boss and told her she'd do the early shift, and the late shift. Then she went into her bedroom and climbed into bed.

She blocked out all thoughts of Austin and tried to go to sleep, but it didn't claim her, so she lay in silence and stared up at the ceiling. The sun soon came through the curtains and she finally blinked her dry eyes and rubbed at them.

Her cell phone had been going off all night, but she never moved to get it. She looked over at it, and was too scared to have a look. She sat up and took it from her nightstand.

 _Message 1: Austin._

 _Where are you?_

 _Message 2: Austin._

 _I've been to the meadow and you aren't there? What's wrong?_

 _Message 3: Austin._

 _Ally, please, did I do something wrong?_

 _Message 4: Austin._

 _Ally, where are you?_

Ally looked at the message from her boss telling her that she was okay to work all day today, so Ally got ready for work and left her apartment. Ten minutes later, she arrived at the library and took a seat behind the desk.

She placed her bag under the desk, and her phone rested on top of it. _Maybe I should reply to him? I can't tell him I ran away, because I knew he kissed someone…this is so messed up, I'm getting attached to him._

The time seemed to pass slowly and only a few people came in and by lunch time, Ally was ready to cry from boredom.

"Hey!" A hand slammed down on her desk and made her jump. "Why aren't you talkin' to my brother?" Tyler's voice was harsh and she jumped to her feet. "He's a mess."

Ally grabbed her notebook and pen.

 _He kissed someone._

"No he didn't-Oh, Ally that woman threw herself at him, my brother pushed her away…How did you know about that?"

 _Trish._

"That Latina chick," He growled and she held her notebook to her chest. "Ally, will you go and see my brother. He went crazy when he saw that you weren't there when we got back. You scared him."

 _Why does he care?_

"Dollface, I should ask you the same thing. You ran off because he kissed a woman, even though you ain't actually his girl."

Ally didn't know how to respond and she looked around at the empty library. _He's right…I overreacted_. She nodded her head and grabbed her bag. She followed Tyler out of the library and she locked the door behind her. They got into his truck and he drove off towards the garage. They sat in silence and Ally tucked some of her hair behind her ear. _I definitely overreacted…I just freaked out. I never meant to scare him._

They arrived after fifteen minutes and Ally smiled at Tyler, then slowly got out of the truck. He drove off and she was left on the sidewalk. She could see Dez standing by one of the workbenches and he had a cut on his cheek. She walked over and looked around to see if he was there, but he wasn't.

"If you're looking for the psychopath, he's in the kitchen," Dallas spoke up from one of the cars. She walked through the door and down the corridor. She stopped at the doorway of the kitchen and looked at Austin. He had his back to her and was washing his hands in the sink. She stepped in and he looked over his shoulder.

"Ally!" He exclaimed, and he ran over and pulled her into his chest, hugging her tight. She smiled and buried her face into his neck. He brought his hand to the back of her hair and she felt his lips brush against the side of her head. He quickly pulled away and looked down at her. "Where did you go? What happened?"

She pulled her notebook out of her bag and wrote down what she wanted to say.

 _Trish was wherever you were last night and she sent me a picture of you kissing the waitress from the diner._

"Oh," He grunted, and she looked into his tired eyes. "Ally, she kissed me…I'm sorry."

 _You don't have anything to apologize for. I overreacted._

"Why?"

 _I don't know…_

"I was worried sick," He admitted. "Please, don't ever run off like that again. I know it's hard for you to communicate with people, but talk to me, leave me notes. I only care about you."

 _He cares…about me?_

"I know that we haven't known each other for a long time, but I want you in my life. You have only just come into my brother's life, but he hasn't touched a drink since you arrived. You're making our lives better, and we need you. I need you," He reached out and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. She felt her cheeks heat up and he leaned down and kissed her forehead.

She inhaled sharply, then looked up at him. She felt a smile break out on her face, and she wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head against his chest. _He cares._

…

Ally stared at the campfire with a smile on her face. Tyler was bringing out the meat to roast on the barbeque and Austin was sat nearby, engaging in an uncomfortable conversation with Dez, Elliot and Dallas.

Ally had told Austin to apologize to Dez for punching him in one of his outbursts, then she had told him to invite them around for dinner. They were all sat around the fire and the guys were drinking beer, except for Tyler, and Ally was drinking some apple juice.

She had tied her hair up in a ponytail and was wearing one of her only summer dresses. She couldn't fight the smile off her face, and she finally felt at peace. Ally never wanted to leave the woods, because oddly enough, she felt safe.

Austin stood up and walked over to sit down by her, and he took a sip from his beer, whilst the other guys talked about how many women they'd slept with. Ally rolled her eyes, and Austin looked at her.

"You aren't going to run away anymore?" She shook her head and he nodded. "Good…I'd miss your baking," Ally grinned at him and she felt herself move closer to him, so their arms were touching.

"And I'd miss checking out your ass whenever you bend over," Tyler spoke from behind them and Ally looked over her shoulder to see he was holding the tray of meat.

"Fuck off!" Austin snapped, and Tyler howled out a laugh, then walked over to the barbeque. Ally felt her cheeks turn red and she wanted to take her hair down to cover her face.

The sound of a car approaching the front of the house, echoed around the woods. Ally looked at Austin and he got to his feet and walked around the side of the cabin. She waited for him to return, and when he did, he returned with her mom behind him.

"Well isn't this cosy. C'mon, time to go Allyson," She held out her hand like she was summoning a child and she got to her feet, then walked over to her. "I've just about had enough with your childish attitude. You're going to be seeing a new therapist tomorrow, then you'll get your life together and start talking."

 _She's my mom, but I'm tired of being a pushover._

"Hell no!" Tyler hollered. "She ain't going anywhere with you."

"She's my daughter and she will do as she's told. She has spent enough time around you pieces of trash," Her mom grabbed her wrist and began to pull her along, but Austin reached out and roughly pulled her against his chest, so she was out of her mom's hold.

"Since she can't speak to defend herself, I'm going to do it for her. She's happy here, and we're happy to let her stay. She's sick to death of you walking all over, you treat her not talking like a disability. How about you look past that and you'd see who your daughter really is, a kind and caring person. You may think my brother and I are scum, but we're the only people that have shown her any kind of compassion and treated her as our equal. Now, you've got ten seconds to get the hell off my property before I call the cops."

Ally watched as her mom looked between her and Austin, then she growled and disappeared back around the cabin. Ally stepped away from Austin's chest and turned to look at him. She reached out and placed her hand of his heart.

"Thanks?" She nodded her head, then she jumped into his arms, and hugged him tight.


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: Hi! Thank you to phia514, AzaleaLee, Dont-Stop-Believin, Cme074, Luckystarz910, rainingplatinum445, MidnightLover31, Mary Wilde, and the Guests who reviewed the last chapter. I hope you all enjoy this one and beware TRIGGER: MENTION OF RAPE, AND RAPE OCCURRING(but nothing in detail). I love how you all enjoy the way this story is going and I hope to hear from you all after this chapter :)**

 **Song: Halsey - Gasoline.**

 **CookiesForMyTummy,x**

* * *

~ Chapter 11 ~

 _She thinks he's in prison. Mom thinks the man who killed dad is in prison, but he isn't. Ghosts aren't real and I've seen him up and walking. The men that work for him follow me everywhere. It's been years and they've never tried to touch me; they just watch, its nerve wracking._

 _But, I know they'll touch me if I talk. That's why they watch me, because I'm alive and I know what they did and who they are. My dad was innocent and they murdered him in front of me. I miss him so much._

Ally closed her old journal and she placed it back in the box. Austin had took her back to her apartment so she could collect a few boxes and lock the place up. She had found her old journal at the bottom and reading it had brought tears to her eyes.

She looked around for some tissue and she walked over to Austin's beside table and opened the drawer. She saw some tissue, but she picked it up and paused when she realized it was a napkin. She unfolded it and her eyes widened.

 _It's the napkin I gave him the first time we met...he kept it._

She heard footsteps and she quickly put it back in the drawer and turned around to look at the open door. Tyler walked in and he leaned against the doorway.

"Austin got called into work, he'll be back later," He said with a wink, and Ally nodded her head. "You alright dollface you look a little flustered. Did I interrupt your erotic thoughts about me?" She grabbed a book from one of her boxes and threw it at him. He caught it and grinned at her. "Wanna' go hunting baby cakes?"

Then, half an hour later, they were deep in the woods, crouching down behind some bushes. Tyler had made sure that she had her notebook with her, so she could write down anything she wanted to say.

In a clearing up ahead there was a rabbit. Tyler had told her she could make them rabbit stew if they caught it. _I can't wait to get home and cook it._ She got a fuzzy feeling in her stomach whenever she called the cabin home, because she didn't want her luck to run out.

Tyler was holding a crossbow and he had told her to fire an arrow at a tree a few minutes ago; it had made her fall to the ground, then miss Tyler by a few inches. He laughed it off and helped her to her feet, then they spotted the rabbit.

Ally glanced at Tyler and she saw that his years of drug use and alcohol usage was taking its toll on him. He was forty and the only thing that made him look young was his bright blue eyes and blonde hair. _I wonder if he'll ever find someone_.

He lined up his crossbow and placed his finger on the trigger. Ally watched him contently.

Suddenly, a shrill scream ripped through the air. Tyler jumped and he missed the rabbit, and it scampered off.

"Fuckin' hell!" He hollered and he got to his feet. Ally glanced in the direction the scream had come from and she reached out and tugged at his sleeve. "Dollface-"

"STOP!" The female voice screeched in horror and she pulled harder on his arm. They took off in the direction of the scream. The woman's cries got louder and they came out into a small clearing. Tyler flew past her and he tackled the man off the bloody woman underneath him.

Ally's whole face was paralysed in shock. The man's trousers were around his ankles and his...thing...she shivered; was out. _He raped her._

The woman curled herself up into a ball on the woodland floor and Ally pulled herself together. She cautiously stepped over and dropped to her knees next to her. She reached out her shaking hand and tried to block out the sound of Tyler punching the man over and over again.

Ally grabbed her notebook from her bag and she wrote down on a piece of paper. She placed it down by her face and her bloodied lips trembled. She reached out her dirty hands and grabbed the notebook.

 _I can't speak...but do you want me to take you away from here?_

She nodded her head quickly and her long brown hair, fell in a matted mess down her back. Ally held out her hand and the girl took it and she helped her to her feet. _She looks like she could only be eighteen._

Ally pulled the girl into her side and walked her away from the bloody scene. Tyler's grunts faded away and they soon arrived at the cabin. Ally flashed the girl a reassuring smile and led her inside.

The girl began to shake and Ally knew that this was going to have a traumatising effect on her and she didn't blame her. Ally scribbled a word down on a page.

 _Bath?_

The girl nodded her head and Ally led her into the bathroom. She turned on the hot tap and grabbed some towels. She sat the girl down on the toilet seat and pulled a little at her dress. She began to pull it over her head and Ally reached out and cupped her cheek.

Ally left quickly and grabbed some of her clean clothes, then returned. The bath was almost full, so she turned off the taps and shut the bathroom door. The naked girl got into the bath and Ally sat down next to the tub. She grabbed the scrubber and began to clean the blood and dirt from the girl's body.

The hot water seemed to sooth her body a bit, but she was still trembling. Ally gently missed out the cuts on her body and she knew she'd have to deal with them later. Ally disappeared again and returned with a jug, so she could wash the girl's hair. She rubbed shampoo into her hair then poured the warm tub water over her hair. She did it gently so none of it would get into her eyes, and she kept flashing the girl a smile whenever she looked at her.

They repeated the process of scrubbing at her skin for an hour as the girl whimpered that she could still feel him on her. Ally felt her heart break at the sound of her cries and they sounded similar to the ones she had cried when that man had murdered her dad in front of her.

The back door slammed shut and she helped the girl out of the bath and gestured to the clothes. She stepped outside and shut the door behind her, then she saw a bloody Tyler standing at the end of the hall.

"Where is she?" His voice was oddly soft, and Ally pointed to the bathroom door. "I called Austin and told him what happened. I've got some men coming along to get the body."

 _The body...he killed him...oh my._

Ally heard the girl crying again, and she stepped back inside the bathroom to see her fully clothed and on the floor. Ally went to crouch down in front of her, but Tyler got there first.

"Princess," His voice was tender, _I've never seen him like this before_. "That son of a bitch is dead. He won't be a problem anymore. Do you have any family baby girl?" She slowly shook her head.

"They're all dead," Her voice was raw from all of her screaming and Tyler's face softened.

"Okay, sweetheart you can't report this to the police because I just punched that man to death and I ain't getting locked up again," He explained and she nodded her head, then wiped her cheeks. "Baby girl, you can stay here if you want, or do you have somewhere else to be?"

"I moved out of the orphanage because I turned eighteen. They stop caring when you turn eighteen and I'd just moved into town a week ago. That man had been following me everywhere, then he just attacked me and h-he-" She cried out and Tyler gently pulled her into his arms. Ally watched from the doorway as he began to rock her like a baby. She clung onto him for dear life and soaked his shirt with her tears.

The front door opened and Austin stepped in. His eyes landed on Ally and he walked over to find out what all the noise was about. His eyes landed on the frail girl in Tyler's arms, on the bathroom floor. Ally grabbed her notebook.

 _She was raped._

"What?" Austin gaped at her and she clutched the book to her chest and they both stared at the scene until the girl passed out in Tyler's arms. He bundled her up and carried her out of the bathroom and over to the couch. He placed her down then put a blanket over her.

"She was raped?" Austin spoke up and Tyler looked back at him.

"Dollface and I were out hunting and we heard screaming. He was raping her when we got there...beat the bastard to a pulp. The guys are coming over to collect the body," Tyler explained and Ally didn't know whether she should ask who the guys were, or how Tyler had just killed a man. "Brother, she ain't got no family. She's an orphan."

 _Can she stay here?_

Austin stared at the page and he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

 _It might get cramped, but she doesn't have anyone...she doesn't deserve to be alone._

"Okay," Austin grunted. "She can stay, but I might as well start charging you people rent. This isn't a damn motel," Ally smiled as she watched Austin disappear into his bedroom.

Tyler began to light a fire and Ally sat down in front of it. She wanted to be around when the girl woke up.

 _I wonder what her name is? She's really pretty...I hope we can be friends._

It was hours before the girl woke up again and Ally stayed true to her word and she was there the moment she woke. Ally sat down on the edge of the couch and smiled at her.

 _What's your name?_

She held up the notebook and the girl sat up, but kept the blanket close to her chin.

"Jaime," She whispered. "What's yours?"

 _Ally._

"Baby girl, glad to see your up," Tyler walked in with some takeout Chinese. "Hungry?" Jaime nodded her head and Tyler handed her the food. She cautiously ate it and he sat down in the armchair. "What's your name sweetheart?"

"Jaime."

"That's a guy's name ain't it?" It was more of a rhetorical question and Ally bet that she got it all the time.

"Clearly not since I'm female and my names Jaime," She grumbled back with food in her mouth.

"I like that sass baby girl," Tyler grinned at her and Ally watched a blush appear on her cheeks. "Do you wanna stick around? My brother said you can stay."

"That would be nice...thank you, for everything," Ally reached out and tucked some of her damp hair behind her ear and smiled. She got to her feet and walked to Austin's bedroom. She knocked on the door and she heard him laugh.

"Ally, I've told you three times now that you don't have to knock," Ally stepped inside and she shut the door. He was sat on his bed and she joined him.

 _Her names Jaime._

"How's she doing?"

 _I'm not sure...the next couple of weeks are going to be really rough for her._

"I know," He said. "How are you?"

 _I watched Tyler beat that man to death...it reminded me of my dad being killed._

Austin grunted in response then she felt his hand on hers. She linked her fingers with his and smiled sadly at him.

"Tyler isn't like those men...I've never seen him act so nice towards a girl before. Maybe he likes her?"

 _She's eighteen._

"Age is just a number," Austin half smiled at her and Ally's eyes landed on the bedside table.

 _You kept it._

"Kept what?"

 _The napkin I gave you the first time we met._

"You found it," He looked down at his lap and she nudged his shoulder with hers.

 _Did you think you were going to see me again?_

"You were unforgettable...I just took it as a token," He explained.

 _I wish I had something of yours to keep._

"Maybe one day."

 _Yes, maybe._

"Ally..." He looked at her with a weird look and she looked down and went to write something down, but he slowly began to lean closer. She felt herself become paralysed and she didn't know how to respond. _Is he going to kiss me?_ She felt her stomach fill with butterflies, but he quickly kissed her cheek and left.

Ally stared at the door and she rubbed at her blushing cheeks.

...

Ally sat in front of the fire with Jaime and they were both silent. Ally could see the distant look on Jaime's face, _it was like she's pretending everything is okay_. Ally wasn't sure how to approach the situation, or whether she should just never bring it up.

Ally's mind went back to Austin. _I thought he was going to kiss me...why didn't I mind that_. She was so confused and she just wished she could run up and talk to him about it, but she couldn't. Guys never approached her, they never gave her attention. She was the person they walked right through and she didn't understand why someone like Austin was even giving her the time of day. _I'm nothing special_.

Austin and Tyler had disappeared to meet their friends who would get rid of the body. Ally wanted to know how they knew people that could dispose of bodies. _Maybe I don't know them as well as I think I do._

"Does it ever get boring not being able to talk?" Jaime broke the silence and Ally placed her notebook on her knee.

 _Not boring, just frustrating._

"I bet," She sighed, then she tightened the blanket around her shoulders. "Are you and Austin together?"

 _No...They took me in. I've only known them for a couple of weeks_.

"Oh," She stared down at her lap. "Tyler seems like a bad man...even though he saved my life."

 _Deep down he is a good guy. He just has a lot of baggage._

"Don't we all," She added.

 _I suppose so._

"You hear stories about how people react to being raped. Most people say its traumatising and they turn into nervous wrecks, but I just feel numb inside...to think that if anyone asks me how I lost my virginity..."

 _He took it._

"The one and only," She laughed sadly and Ally saw tears form in her sore eyes. "It's just sad you know. I'm never going to get that back and now I just have this horrible memory of what boys are like. I already knew that most of them are useless and they only care about sex, but I was hoping I could find someone who didn't want that straight away. Someone who didn't mind just getting to know me, but every guy I meet has already slept with hundreds of girls and I never want to be just a one time thing...I was saving myself for marriage."

Ally placed her notebook down on the rug and she pulled Jaime into a hug. Tears fell from Ally's eyes and her heart cried for Jaime. _How do you cope with someone taking away the one thing you were proud of having?_

She began to rock her as she cried and they both lay down in front of the fire. Ally placed the blanket over them and she hugged her from behind. She began to play with her hair as a way to sooth her and it seemed to work because she soon fell asleep.

The door opened and Ally sat up. She held her finger to her lips and Austin and Tyler looked over at them. They took a seat on the couch and Ally saw the concerned look on Tyler's face.

Ally got to her feet and she sat down between them. The three of them stayed there until Ally fell asleep on Austin's shoulder. Austin laid her down and placed a blanket over her, then disappeared to bed.

...

Ally stared at the numerous messages on her phone. Austin was at work again and Tyler had 'business' to deal with. Jaime was inside and she was left to sit on the porch.

She had many messages from her mom, telling her that she needs to see this new therapist. Then she had others from Trish, asking her if she was done with Austin. Ally wasn't sure where things had all gone wrong. She was doing this to save them. If she talked, he'd kill them.

 _Does that mean he'll kill Austin? Oh my god it does, he's always watching and he said he would kill the people I am close to...what am I doing? I'm putting their lives at risk! I need to leave!_

 _"No more running,"_ Austin's words echoed throughout her mind and she chewed on the side of her thumb, then decided to message him.

 _Austin, I want to leave...I've just realised I'm putting you in danger._

 _Ally._

Her knee pounced up and down as she felt mountains of anxiety pour over her. She waited for him to respond and when her phone buzzed, she grabbed it quickly.

 _I'll be home in ten minutes. We're having a talk._

 _Austin._

Tyler came walking out of the trees and he smiled over at her.

"Hey dollface, how are you?" She nodded back and he glanced at the door. "How is she doing?" Ally shrugged and Tyler walked inside.

She sat on the porch until Austin pulled up in his truck. He got out and opened up the passenger door.

"Meadow," He stated and she ran over then climbed into the passenger seat. They drove for a while until they came to the beautiful meadow and Ally looked over at him when he stopped the truck.

"Ally, I know you don't like talking about it, but please tell me what happened?" Ally began to write down on the notebook.

 _When I was 10 years old, I was snatched from my front yard. My dad was late back from work, and my mom was inside worried. A man pulled up in a van and threw me in. I didn't have a chance to scream until he had driven off. The next thing I know we were at an abandoned warehouse. I was being dragged inside by this man, then I was chained up to a wall. They brought my dad in, and he was beaten and bloody. He started screaming when he saw me, begging them to let me go, but the man just laughed; who I later found out was a man called Carlos. He started asking me where my dad kept the diamonds and I had no idea what he was on about, and my dad kept screaming that it was his cousin who took the diamonds not him, but Carlos didn't seem to care. I remember crying hysterically, because he wouldn't stop hitting me. He told my dad that he'd kill me if he didn't admit to stealing them, but my dad seriously didn't steal the diamonds. Carlos broke most of my ribs and fractured my jaw…then, when he realized my dad wasn't going to admit to something he didn't do. He turned on him and I remember the sickening smile that appeared on his face…it still haunts my dreams. He started beating my dad and then he grabbed a metal rod…and…he…beat my dad until his skull caved in…and his brain was squished to liquid…Carlos unchained me and he started carrying me out, I continued to kick and scream, crying out for my dad, but told me that I couldn't tell anyone that it was him, or the real reason behind him being killed. He told me that he'd kill my mom, Trish, anyone that I cared about. He said that I would have to watch as he killed them the same way he killed my dad…I've never spoke a word since then…they didn't arrest the right man and my mom thinks it was the one in prison, but it isn't. He's still out there and he and his men are always watching me to see if I open my mouth and talk. He said I'm not allowed to talk…_

Austin's knuckles whitened around the notebook, and he looked over at Ally, his face scrunched up in anger. She was staring back at him with tears in her eyes, then he reached over and pulled her into his embrace.


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: Hi! Thank you to Mary Wilde, anonymously1889, Dont-Stop-Believin, phia514, Luckystarz910, ScorpioSmile (Ally is 25, Austin is 34, Jaime is 18 and Tyler is 40 :D) and to all the guests that reviewed. I hope you enjoy the nice...special...fluffy moment in this chapter :)**

 **Song: AronChupa ft. Little Sis Nora - Little Swing.**

 **CookiesForMyTummy, x**

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Chapter 12 

Four Weeks Later:

 _One step. Two step. Three step-_

"Ally! C'mon, I will push you in the river if you don't move your ass! It's like a hundred degrees out here!" Jaime growled and stomped from the stone behind her and Ally quickly scribbled down on the whiteboard and held it up for her to see. "It's nice to take your time as it's easy to embrace the-Stop being so poetic, I've got sweat dripping out of every body part!"

"You really know how to attract a man's attention!" Tyler shouted from behind Jaime and she swirled around to growl at him.

"This is all your fault! You suggested we go on this damn hike!"

Ally grinned and she jumped onto the next stone. Over the past four weeks, Ally had come to enjoy and embrace the people she was surrounded by. She was slowly coming out of her shell and she was having the best time of her life.

Austin was at work and Tyler had suggested the three of them take a hike. Ally heard Jaime groan from behind her and Ally rubbed her previous words from her board and wrote some more.

"I'm guessing you love hiking?" Jaime read out loud. "Haha, if you could speak I bet your voice would be dripping in sarcasm."

This past month, Ally had learned so much about Jaime. She was the nicest, sweetest and the most bipolar girl she knew. Jaime's natural attitude was an angry, annoying character, but she was never horrible, just sarcastic... _she was very sarcastic_ , Ally smiled then jumped onto the dirt.

They never mentioned what had happened that day and Jaime seemed to be getting better. The cabin was cramped but they made it work. Tyler and Austin shared a bed in Tyler's room and Ally and Jaime shared a bed in Austin's room. This was when Ally really got to know Jaime. _She's my best friend...she treats me better than Trish did._ The thought made her frown and she quickly shook the negativity from her head.

Austin was always busy at work in the day and then when he got home, Ally would have a meal prepared for him and everyone else. They would all sit around the fire and Tyler and Jaime would fight, whilst Ally smiled and Austin rolled his eyes.

The thought of Austin made a wide grin appear on her face. They were much closer after she had told him what had happened and he never asked anymore questions. _He just accepts me for who I am...that's why he's my ultimate best friend..._ Ally felt nerves build up in her stomach and she knew that Austin was slowly becoming more than just a friend to her. She was scared of the whole thing.

Jaime jumped off the stone and Tyler followed, then they looked at the dirt path which would lead them deeper into the woods.

"Damn baby girl you stink," Tyler sniffed Jaime and she responded by punching his arm.

Tyler always called Ally dollface or baby cakes, and he rarely referred to her as Ally. She didn't mind the nicknames and she had soon learned that he had a lot of names for Jaime. They may argue all the time, but Tyler rarely called her Jaime, it was mostly 'baby girl, sweetcheeks, princess, or lil' lady'. Jaime never protested to the names and Ally knew that deep down Jaime was beginning to care about Tyler because he saved her life.

"If you could all just stop fighting for a second that would be dandy," Jaime read from Ally's whiteboard. "Dandy? Are you on crack or something?"

"Her eyes look a little bloodshot," Tyler leaned in closer to her face.

"Do you have a drug problem we should know about?" Jaime questioned and Ally shoved them both back with a smile, then skipped off ahead.

"She's extremely happy today," Tyler whispered. "Maybe Austin finally made his move?"

"I doubt it," Jaime replied and Tyler rested his elbow on her shoulder. She growled and elbowed him in the stomach. "You asswipe!" She stormed off ahead after Ally, leaving Tyler to laugh behind her.

 _This place is so pretty!_

"It's alright I guess," Jaime pulled out her water bottle from her rucksack and chugged the liquid down. "Not that I'm opposed to you being happy, but you're rather happy today."

 _I'm just embracing life, aren't you having fun?_

"I'd be having fun sitting on the couch with pizza," Ally smiled then crouched down to pick a flower. She inhaled its scent and she shoved it into Jaime's face. Jaime inhaled sharply then sneezed loudly. "Can we go home now?"

"No way princess, this is fun," Tyler put his arm over Ally's shoulder and Jaime rolled her eyes.

 _Nature is fun._

"Dollface is right," He kissed her hair. "Baby cakes, have you been doing squats, because your ass is on fire!"

"Knock it off!" Jaime kicked his shin hard then stormed off ahead. Tyler grunted then reached down to grab it.

"I think she's in love with me, don't you think dollface?" Ally smiled and shook her head, then followed after Jaime.

...

Ally stumbled out of Austin's bedroom and she shut the door quietly behind her. The heat was unbearable and she couldn't sleep comfortably. She grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator, then walked outside onto the porch. She collapsed onto the steps and let the night air hit her bare skin.

 _God I hate the heat._

Ally had to apply cream to her face and body because she had forgotten to put sunscreen on and she was burnt badly. The door opened behind her and Austin walked out. He sat down next to her and smiled.

"Is it too hot?" He asked and she nodded her head. "You look a little sore," He pointed to her face and she blushed. "Did you have fun on your hike? I never got a chance to ask at dinner because Jaime and Tyler were arguing."

She kneeled down into the dirt and she began to write words into the mud.

 _It was fun_. She wiped away and wrote some more. _I wish you had been there._

"Me too," He replied. "Maybe you and I could go on our own hike?" Ally smiled and nodded her head. She sat back down next to him and she felt nerves rush through her body. "You know, I never thought I'd like how things are now," He said and she turned to look at him. "Tyler is actually okay to be around and he still hasn't touched a single drink. I would never have talked to someone like Jaime in my whole entire life because she's loud and sarcastic, but I like her. Since we know what happened to her, she's easy to understand and seeing her being loud and sarcastic is actually quite soothing because you can see she's slowly beginning to heal. Then there's you..." He looked at her with an unfamiliar expression on his face. His eyes made her breathing hitch in the back of her throat and she wished for a second that he'd kiss her.

"Ally, you're without a doubt, the most inspiring person I've ever met. I feel like I've known you all my life and I can't begin to imagine my life without you in it...you've turned my life around and made it better..." He carried on praising her and Ally felt her self get lost in his eyes. _Maybe I should kiss him?_ Ally thought _, No I'm too scared...maybe I should take the risk._ Her hands started to shake and she reached out and placed her hand on his arm. _Take the risk._

He stopped talking and he gazed at her contently. She slowly leaned forward and pressed her lips over his. It was a light and short kiss because she pulled away after three seconds. He quickly reached out and cupped the side of her face, then brought her lips back to his.

Ally inhaled sharply and her fingers curled around the sleeve of his top. Her heart began to beat rapidly in her chest and her cheeks went redder than they already were. His tongue slipped into her mouth and she felt her heart flutter in her chest.

This was her first kiss. She didn't know if she was doing it right, but she didn't care. _This was perfect._ They broke apart, but their faces were still close. She could feel his warm breath on her face and she slowly released her grip on his sleeve.

The booming sound of laughter pulled them from their trance. They both turned to see Tyler and Jaime at the kitchen window, laughing their heads off. Jaime was leaning on Tyler for support of her uncontrollable laughter.

"At last baby brother!" Tyler howled and Jaime wiped the tears from her face.

"I feel like a proud mother!" She giggled.

"I feel like a proud father!" Tyler's face was smug and Jaime scrunched her face up.

"I don't want to be married to you!" She snapped.

"I don't want to be married to you either!" He hollered back and Jaime pushed him hard and he fell down onto the kitchen floor. Jaime began to laugh, but Tyler reached out and pulled her to the floor. She screamed then they both started laughing again.

Ally looked away from the kitchen window and nervously looked at Austin. There was a small smile on his face, then he got to his feet.

"Shall we go to the meadow?" He suggested and she nodded her head and grabbed his hand. They both disappeared into the woods and the fading sound of Tyler and Jaime's laughter could be heard.

...

The happy family vibe was short lived. Tyler had gone out to meet some friends and Dez had called Austin a few moments ago telling him that Tyler was drunk and causing trouble at a bar.

Ally hated the look that was on Austin's face and she watched him put on his jacket and head for the door. Jaime abruptly got up from the chair and she walked over to Austin.

"I'm coming with you-"

"That's not a good idea," He grunted back and she placed her hand on her hip.

"Do you really think that's going to stop me?" She questioned and Austin sighed then looked at Ally. "C'mon Ally lets make sure Tyler gets his dick kicked."

Ally would've smiled, but the whole situation was rather grave. She got to her feet and grabbed her whiteboard and pen. They all walked out of the cabin and got into Austin's truck.

"I knew this would happen soon," Austin muttered.

"How long has he been an alcoholic for?" Jaime asked from the backseat.

"Too long," Ally could see the exhausted look on his face and right now she wanted to hug him. _I hate seeing him like this._

"He stopped though, didn't he?"

"He did, but he's an alcoholic. It's hard for him to cut it out," Austin explained and Ally saw Jaime had a distant look on her face. _I guess she's never seen Tyler drunk before...he might scare her._

They drove for a while until they pulled up outside of the bar. Austin got out and he opened the door for Ally and helped her out. _He looks so tough on the outside and his personality is harsh, but he's a softy on the inside._

They walked inside the bar and Austin kept Ally close to his side. Jaime stormed ahead and she stopped a few steps away and Ally watched her hands form into fists. They stepped up behind her and Ally saw what was making her so angry. Tyler was in a booth with a woman straddling his lap and his tongue was shoved down her throat.

Ally reached out and gently grabbed her wrist. Jaime looked at her with a distant look in her eyes and Ally felt her heart ache for her. _Seeing the man who saved you from being raped, with his tongue in another woman's mouth whilst he was drunk and had his hands shoved under her tank top, probably was hard to see._

Tears shone in Jaime's eyes and she ran off into the bathroom. Ally went to go after her, but Austin began to walk over to Tyler, so she followed him.

"Get up Tyler!" He snapped and Tyler brought his mouth away from the girl. "I'm tired of this shit!" He grabbed his arm and roughly pulled him from the booth. "Are you kidding me with this shit? I thought you were done!?"

"Is this dude given you shit?" One of Tyler's drinking buddies interfered, and before Ally could blink, a full blown bar fight broke out. Austin pushed Ally backwards, then he had taken Tyler to the floor, both of them throwing punches at one another. A chair flew in Ally's direction and she dropped to the floor to dodge it. Some man dripped over her body and she scurried to her feet and dodged another two men that fell to the floor in a scuffle.

Ally reached out for the bar, but glasses were smashed as a man was thrown into the bar. She looked around for Austin but she couldn't see him. She began to panic and she didn't know what to do.

Another man flew her way and she ran out of the firing line. Then, she caught sight of Austin and Tyler fighting on the floor. She pushed through the bustle of people and she reached out and grabbed Tyler's shoulder. He swung his elbow backwards and it hit her nose. She landed on her ass and clutched her nose, and she felt the blood seeping through her fingers.

Ally's eyes widened and Tyler's eyes landed on hers. He stopped fighting and shame washed over his face. Austin threw a punch to his face and raced over to her.

Police sirens echoed around and people immediately stopped fighting and fled. Austin reached out and moved her hands away from her face.

"Tilt your head back darling," His voice was oddly soft after what had just happened. He gripped the bridge of her nose for her and he asked someone to grab him some napkins. Austin pressed them gently against her nose and tried to clean up the blood.

Ally watched Jaime storm past her and Tyler got to his feet in front of her.

"Are you happy now!?" She shrieked, then she pointed at Ally. "Look at what you've done! I thought better of you!"

"You don't fuckin' know me bitch!" Jaime seemed taken aback from his outburst. "I should've just let that man carry on what he was doing to you in the woods!"

Austin's attention flew from Ally to Jaime and he watched her smack him hard across the face. She let out a sob and the police walked in.

"He started the fight, lock him up in the drunk tank and keep him there for as long as you like!" She shrieked, then she walked over to Ally and crouched down next to her.

The police took Tyler away and Ally placed her hand on Jaime's arm.

"Don't worry about me," She whimpered and Ally could see she was trying to keep it together. "Let's get your nose cleaned up."

...

Fortunately, Ally's nose wasn't broken. She just had a cut and a bruised nose. Austin was sat opposite her at the table and they were eating breakfast.

Ally had been up for most of the night holding Jaime whilst she cried. Tyler was still in the trunk tank and Ally could see Austin was still angry about the whole situation. He had a couple of bruises on his face, but he had let Ally put an icepack on his face before they went to sleep.

"How are you feeling?" He asked and she nodded her head. "I won't let him stay here anymore after what he's done."

Ally pulled the lid off the whiteboard pen and she wrote something down.

 _I don't care about what he did to me...I just hate what he said to Jaime...that was a heartless thing to say._

"I actually thought he was changing and I assumed it was because of you...and it partly was, but I think it's Jaime that made him get a lot better as well. He's used to having women around him that have no class and would do anyone, but you two are completely different. He knew that the moment he met both of you and he had respect for you...last night before Tyler left to drink, Jaime was talking to me about how she would never be able to be with a man, not after what happened. I saw Tyler was standing in the hallway, but Jaime didn't notice and she carried on talking about how much she hated men and she never wanted another one near her in that way...that was when he stormed out of the back door and disappeared..."

 _He likes her, doesn't he?_

"I think so. She's only eighteen and he's forty, I bet he feels like he's just as bad as the man that raped her for even thinking about her in that way," Austin explained.

Ally felt tears burn her eyes and she sniffled. _That's sad,_ she wrote and Austin got to his feet and crouched down next to her chair. She turned to him and he reached up and cupped her cheeks. He brushed away her falling tears, then leaned up and pressed his lips against hers.

He inhaled sharply and her hands latched onto his wrists. She could feel her tears mixing with the kiss, but she began to feel comfort and warmth from it.

She opened her mouth for him and his tongue joined hers. This kiss had started slowly, but the moment their tongues met, a new type of passion filled Ally and she clutched onto the front of his top.

Austin's fingers went into her hair and he pulled away to take in a breath, then kissed her with a bit more force. Ally felt her head begin to spin and everything that was making her sad, seemed to disappear.

 _He makes me happy...so happy._


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: Hi! Sorry for the wait, I accidently broke my laptop and lost everything on it! I've got a new one now, but I've had to rewrite everything I had for both of stories.**

 **Thank you to Cme074, anonymously1889, rainingplatinum445, phia514, AzaleaLee, Mary Wilde, Luckystarz910, ScorpioSmile, and the guests who reviewed. You all made me smile :)**

 **Song: Foxes - Feet Don't Fail Me Now.**

 **CookiesForMyTummy,x**

* * *

~ Chapter 13 ~

Ally knew that Austin wasn't the type for picnics, but he was handling it well. They were at the meadow with Jaime and of course, Tyler still hadn't returned. It had been three days and Jaime had been locked up in the bedroom up until this morning and Ally had suggested to Austin that they go on a picnic to cheer her up.

Ally could tell Jaime was putting on a front and Austin seemed to be scared that if he said the wrong thing to her, she'd break.

Ally put a grape in her mouth and she leaned into Austin's side. They had shared another kiss last night and Ally was sure that she was falling hard and fast. _Things like this never happen to me...this is all so new._

Jaime had told Ally last night that she had found a jar of money under Austin's bed. She wanted to ask him what he was saving for, but it was probably just spare money he'd put away. _It was quite a lot of money...he does work a lot so I suppose he has money to save._

Jaime sneezed loudly and Ally wrote something down on her whiteboard.

 _Do you have hayfever?_

"Unfortunately, yes," She sniffled and Ally could see her eyes were beginning to water from the pollen. "But, this was a good idea Ally, thank you."

 _There's no need to thank me, I just like seeing you smile._

"I think your girlfriend's in love with me," Jaime snickered and Ally's face went bright red. _Is that what we are?_ Jaime seemed to sense Ally's awkwardness, so she changed the subject. "When are you next in work?"

 _Tomorrow._

"So I guess I'll be on my own then," She sighed and Ally looked at Austin.

"I'm working all day," He muttered.

"Oh yeah, that reminds me! What's that jar for under your bed, the one with all the money in?" She asked and Ally's eyes widened.

Austin looked taken aback by her question and Ally thought for a second that he was going to get angry with her, but he smiled slightly.

"It's just in case anything comes up," He glanced at Ally quickly then looked away.

"Oh," She grumbled. "That wasn't as exciting as I wanted it to be."

Austin's cell phone began to ring in his pocket and he picked up.

"Dez...is he...I don't care if...okay, fine I'll be on my way," He hung up and Ally placed her hand on his arm. "Tyler has been let out, and he's on another bender."

 _It's 1 o'clock in the afternoon._

"That doesn't matter to him," Austin kissed her cheek and said goodbye. Ally watched him disappear into the woods, then she looked at the blank look on Jaime's face.

 _He needs to apologise to you._

"I don't want his apology...I don't know why I was stupid enough to think he was different."

 _Jaime, he overheard you saying that you didn't like men and you didn't want to be with and around another guy...it upset him._

"Why?" She asked, confused.

 _Because he likes you._

"Likes me?" She inhaled sharply. "As in...He like likes me?"

 _Yes...I think so. I know he's forty and you're eighteen, but he was angry at himself for even thinking about you that way. Although, that doesn't excuse what he said to you._

"He's a dick...why didn't he just talk to me about it?"

 _Because he's a guy._

Jaime laughed, then tucked some of her hair behind her ear. "We aren't really experienced with guys are we?"

 _Nope. Austin was my first kiss._

"Aww, I wish I could meet someone, but the thought of anyone touching me like that...it scares me, and I'd hate to think that I could fall for them, then they would leave. I need someone that understands what I'm going through and won't pressure me, or leave me...but those types of guys are hard to find."

Ally pressed the tip of her pen on the whiteboard and went to write something down, but she froze. _They're here...I can feel their eyes_.

She slowly glanced at the trees, but she couldn't see anything. _It's different...something is different_. Ally looked at Jaime quickly and she felt panic rise inside of her. _They're hiding in the trees and we can't run without them following._

"Ally?" Jaime spoke up and she shook her shoulder. "Ally, are you okay?"

 _We need to leave. Now!_

"Why what's wrong?" She pushed, but she had already started to pack the picnic up.

 _They're watching us._

Ally had explained the situation to Jaime when they had both been in the bed and she had taken it well. She knew about the people who followed her, so she wasn't thinking they were being stalked.

 _Something's wrong._

"C'mon, we're leaving," Jaime grabbed the basket and she took a hold of Ally's hand. They headed towards the trees and in the opposite direction of where she could feel eyes on her.

Jaime's hold tightened on her hand, and they walked quickly through the trees. The feeling of being watched didn't ease up until they got back to the cabin. They walked inside and Jaime locked the door and sat Ally down in front of the fireplace. She began to light a fire and Ally found it sweet that she was trying to sooth her.

"I'll call Austin, don't worry," She kissed the side of her head, then disappeared into the kitchen.

...

Ally wasn't sure it was a good idea, but Austin had assured her it was fine. Jaime and Tyler were in Austin's bedroom talking things out, and Ally wanted to be in there to support Jaime, but Austin had told her that they both needed to sort things out between themselves.

Ally could see that Austin was on edge about things and she knew that he didn't want to move from the front porch.

 _I wish they would stop following me_. Ally knew that they weren't watching now, but no matter how many times she told Austin it was fine, he still wouldn't move from the front porch.

She could hear Jaime and Tyler arguing with each other and she really wanted to run inside and see if she was okay. Tyler had sobered up, but they both clearly had a lot to get off their chests. _He needs help and medical attention._

Suddenly, the headlights of a car came through the trees and Ally cringed when she watched Trish, her mom and an unfamiliar woman get out of the car.

Austin got to his feet and pushed Ally behind him. The woman stepped forward and tilted her head to the side.

"Your mother has informed of your situation," She said. "I know this man is abusing you-"

"Hold the fuck up!" Austin snapped. The door opened behind them and Tyler and Jaime stepped out. Jaime's face was tear stained, but anger flashed across her face.

"What do you want?" Tyler asked.

"These men have been abusing you and it seems they've taken another victim," The woman looked at Jaime and when she opened her mouth to say something in response, Tyler held his hand up to silence her.

"You might wanna' watch your tongue lady," He placed himself partly in front of Jaime, so she didn't do anything stupid.

"Who are you people?" Jaime asked.

"I'm a therapist and this is Ally's mothers and her best friend-"

"Best friend!?" Jaime spat and she moved around Tyler and lent against the wooden column. "What's her favourite colour? Why does she like sitting in front of the fire? Why is she silent for? What does she like to do in her free time? Oh, how about you tell me her favourite book or her favourite song?"

Trish gaped at Jaime and Ally smiled. She did feel sad that Trish had become distant from her, but their friendship wasn't healthy. They should talk things about, but it was hard to have a conversation with her, because she'd always end up mothering her. _I hate that_.

"Her favourite colour is yellow. She likes sitting in front of the fire because it reminds her of the happy memories she shared with her dad. I would tell you why she's silent, but you don't deserve the privilege to know that. In her free time she likes to bake, write songs and play the piano. Her favourite book is Mansfield Park by Jane Austen and her favourite song is All I Want by Kodaline," Jaime smirked, satisfied with herself and Ally stepped out from behind Austin, embracing the confidence Jaime had shown. "These men have not been abusing us and I think you need to back off."

"How did you get that cut on your nose then?" Penny asked and Ally's hand flew to her nose. "Did he hit you?" She pointed at Austin.

"Right that's it, off you go," Jaime gently brushed passed Ally and walked up to the three of them.

"I'm not going to be told what to do by some little girl. Which one are you having sex with?" Penny pointed her finger at Tyler.

"What has that got to do with you?" Jaime placed her hand on her hip. "Ally doesn't want you here, so leave and only come back when you've got an apology and you're ready to accept your daughter for who she is!"

"And who is my daughter?"

"A human being. Now treat her like one!"

...

Austin had returned to the porch step after her mom had left. He still refused to come in and Ally blamed herself for making him worry.

 _I can't believe my mom turned up again, its likes she's changed as a person. I don't recognise her anymore...I miss Trish and it's sad because she'd get along with Jaime..._

"You look a bit lost dollface," Tyler appeared next to her and she smiled at him.

 _What happened with you and Jaime?_ Ally wrote on her whiteboard.

"We talked-"

 _Argued._

"Yes," He smirked. "I'm never going to be able to forgive myself after what I said to her...she said she just wants to forget about it, but I said something so cruel. I know I can be a mean son of a bitch sometimes, but I never wanted to hurt her...it's just like I'd never want to hurt you."

 _Well you did...I hated seeing you in that state Tyler, I like it when you're full of life and not drunk._

"It's hard dollface," He grumbled back.

 _But we're your friends. I just want you to be safe and out of danger. No more drink and no more drugs._

"I doubt Jaime wants to help me out. We're fine now but I know she'll never truly forgive me for what I said," Ally saw the true sadness on his face and she did feel sorry for him, but he had hurt all of them.

 _I know you ran off because you heard what she said, but I'm sure she doesn't think that you're anything like the man who raped her._

Ally watched Tyler's fingers curl against the counter. "She does now...I can't believe I said that," He rubbed his hands over his face.

 _She likes you. I can tell._

"Sure she does," He chuckled sarcastically.

 _I know you think that it's bad for you to think about Jaime the way you do, how about you just talk to her about it._

"She's never going to want someone like me. I'm way older, I'm an alcoholic, a drug user...I don't have anything to offer her...she deserves some handsome God who is rich and give her everything that she wants. She deserves to be treated like a princess and I sure as hell can't give her that."

 _How do you know that she wants all that?_

"I just do," He whispered and he kicked the toe of his boot against the floor.

 _Tyler, she was so angry when you went off drinking, because she cares about you. Tyler you saved her life and she is never going to hate you. I think she likes you too._

"You think?"

 _Talk to her._

"Okay, but you need to go and get our pet dog off the porch," Tyler walked off laughing and Ally stared at the back of Austin's head. She walked outside and took a seat next to him.

 _Will you come inside?_

"I need to keep you safe," He responded and Ally could see he was tired.

 _Austin they aren't watching anymore._

"I won't let them take you-" She threw her arms around him and crashed her lips against his. She pulled away quickly and felt her cheeks heat up. Then she got to her feet and held out her hand. He took it and got to his feet.

She walked backwards until they were inside the cabin. Ally kicked the door shut and smiled at him. Austin walked forward and wrapped one arm around her waist and buried his other hand in the back of her hair.

His lips melted against hers in a hot kiss and Ally curled her fingers around the side of his shirt. She felt her stomach do little flips and she couldn't help but smile.

Austin's gripped tightened around her and she was pulled closer to his body _. What's that hard thinking pressing into my-_

Ally pulled her lips away from his and stepped away from him. She smiled sheepishly and her eyes fell to the floor.

"Do you want to play the piano?" Austin asked and Ally nodded her head, then sat down at the piano.


	14. Chapter 14

**AN: Hi! Thank you to AzaleaLee, Mary Wilde, ScorpioSmile, Luckystraz910, SomberFilledWithSullen (When Austin says "Don't do that!" he is reffering to her scratching her neck), xxSmileYoureBeautifulxx, and Guests for reviewing the last chapter and I hope you like the prgression in this chapter.**

 **Song: Dua Lipa - Hotter Than Hell.**

 **CookiesForMyTummy,x**

* * *

~ Chapter 14 ~

"Okay, so let me get this straight. You aren't quiet out of choice and you used to talk? I don't get it," Ally fought the urge to roll her eyes, but Jaime seemed to do it for her.

Ally was at work and Jaime didn't want to be alone in the woods so Ally had brought her to work with her. For some reason, Dez turned up at the library looking for some mechanical books, but he had chosen to give her twenty questions at her desk.

"Ginger nut, stop asking her questions," Jaime grumbled from the armchair.

"What are you her bodyguard?" Dez scoffed.

"Yes," She replied nonchalantly and turned a page of the magazine she was reading.

"She isn't serious, right?" He looked at Ally for an answer. She couldn't help, but smile in response.

"If you upset Ally, then I'm a problem," Jaime didn't even look his way and Dez coughed uncomfortably.

"Okay, I'll just have these books please," He tapped the cover and Ally typed away on her computer.

The bell above the door chimed and Tyler walked in.

"Hi dollface," Ally smiled at him, then he focused his eyes on Jaime.

"Baby girl you ready to eat?" Jaime nodded her head and put her magazine down. She waved goodbye to Ally and disappeared with Tyler.

"Are those two a thing?" He asked and she shrugged her shoulders. "Isn't he a bit, you know, old."

 _They're just spending time together_ , Ally wrote on her whiteboard.

"He's old though and she's...young and hot," He smirked and Ally shook her head.

 _Don't go near her_.

"Are you saying that the old man has got a better shot than me?"

 _Yes._

"How about my chances of a date with a hot librarian?" He winked at her.

"Not a chance in hell," Austin growled and Ally smiled over at him. "You're late for your shift, now fuck off!" Ally tried to ignore the territorial look in his eyes, but she had to be honest, _I kind of like it._

Dez soon left and Ally smiled at Austin. He leaned against the front of her desk and tucked some of her hair behind her ear. She blushed a pink shade and looked down at her desk.

"Do you want to get some lunch?" Ally nodded her head and the woman who was going to take over her shift walked in.

Ally grabbed her bag and her whiteboard, then left holding Austin's hand. She faltered and squeezed his hand. _They're watching me again._

She swallowed the lump in the back of her throat and decided not to tell Austin. _I hate seeing him in that state...and it's all my fault._

She shook her head and they soon arrived at the diner. They took a seat in one of the booths and the same waitress that flirted with Austin served them. Ally watched as Austin didn't even give her the time of day, but he still had to tell her Ally's order.

"Are you okay?" He asked, and she slowly nodded her head. "Ally?" He said seriously.

 _I don't want to ruin his mood...if I tell him they're watching he'll make us leave._ She pulled the cap off her whiteboard pen. _They're watching._

He froze for a second then he got to his feet and held out his hand. _I knew he'd do this._

"Let's go," She wanted to shake her head and protest, but she knew he was only trying to protect her.

…

Jaime grabbed a slice of pizza and she took a huge bite from it. Tyler grinned at her and he ate his slice like a savage. They both looked at each other then quickly looked away. Jaime felt her body heat up and she inwardly cringed. _I shouldn't be feeling this way._

"Baby girl, you okay?" He asked and her gaze flew to his.

"Of course, old man. I'm in the prime of my life," She snickered _. Why did I say...oh my god, Jaime shut up...you just called him old, now he's going to think that you only see him that way...oh crap!_

He brushed it off with a laugh, but Jaime just wanted to run into a wall. "Do you think dollface will ever talk?"

"I don't know," She said. "I wish she would, but if she stays that way forever it's not going to make me like her any less."

"Damn right little lady," Jaime wanted to smack her forehead against the table. _Little lady_ , she gritted her teeth. _This is getting out of hand, why can't we just talk like adults._

"Tyler, I need to talk to you about-"

"Tyler!" A female shrieked and Jaime jumped. Her gaze flew to the woman approaching their table. She slid into the seat next to him and her hand came to his chest and she fluttered her eyelashes at him. "I haven't seen you in a while. I've missed our night time adventures."

 _She means sex, I'm not stupid._ She rolled her eyes and resisted the urge to lunge at the woman.

"Hm," He grunted. "I'm a bit busy Linda."

"I'm sure your little friend doesn't mind giving us some space," She waved her hand in Jaime's direction; without thinking, Jaime grabbed her wrist.

"Call me little again bitch, I dare you," She glared at her and Linda tried to pull her wrist away, but Jaime gripped it tighter.

"Let me go!" She hollered.

"No can do bitch. Now, back the fuck off and leave him alone," Her voice was firm, but anyone listening could tell that she was a second away from exploding.

"Tyler!" She screeched and Jaime glanced Tyler's way. He had a massive smile on his face and all of his attention was on her.

"You can go now," He grunted and Linda shrieked then stormed off. Jaime sat back down and grabbed another piece of pizza.

"What?" She asked.

"You look hot when you get jealous," He took a sip of his drink and she rolled her eyes.

"Pfft, dream on," She muttered.

"What did you need to talk to me about?" He asked.

"Nothing," She lied. "Let's hurry up and go."

...

Ally was sat down in front of the fire and Austin was in the kitchen. He hadn't spoken a word to her and it was making her feel uncomfortable. _I already miss his voice._

She got to her feet and stood in the kitchen doorway. He looked over from the window and flashed her a weak smile. Ally walked over and hugged his side. He brought his arm up and wrapped it around her shoulders.

"Any particular reason why you're hugging me?" He asked and she shrugged her shoulders. "I know our lunch got ruined, so how about I do something for you here. Tomorrow night?" She nodded her head then smiled up at him.

The door opened and Jaime came walking in. Tyler barged past her and stormed into his bedroom, then slammed the door behind him. Jaime flinched at the sound and Ally saw pain flash across her face.

"What happened?" Austin asked and Jaime shrugged her shoulders in response. Ally slipped away from Austin and grabbed her whiteboard.

 _Do you want to talk outside?_

"Not right now Ally...I just want to pretend today never happened," She left with a sigh and disappeared into Austin's room. Ally looked back at Austin.

"Do you think it's something bad?" He asked and she shrugged.

 _I'm not sure...I think they both need to sit down and talk normally. Instead of being sarcastic to one another and winding each other up._

"You're right," He kissed the side of her head and she blushed. "I did want to ask you something at lunch today," Ally looked up at him. "I was wondering if you wanted to go away for the weekend."

A huge smile broke out on her face and she nodded her head. She hugged him tight and jumped up and down a little.

"I'm guessing you like the idea?" He chuckled and she smiled, then walked out of the kitchen. She heard someone whimper and she realized it was Jaime.

Ally walked into Austin's bedroom and saw her curled up in a ball on the bed. She shut the door behind her and climbed onto the bed. Jaime's shoulders shook and she glanced over at Ally.

 _What happened?_ She wrote and she sat up, wiping away her tears.

"Tyler tried to kiss me..." She whispered. "When he got close to me, I flinched and he took it the wrong way," She hiccupped a sob and Ally moved closer to her.

 _Did you mind that he was going to kiss you?_

"No, but I've ruined it now...it's all his fault, if he hadn't of r-raped me...I wouldn't be like this. I don't care about Tyler's age, he makes me feel safe and I wanted him to kiss me...I want to tell him how I feel...but now he thinks I hate him," Ally pulled Jaime into her arms and squeezed her tight.

...

"Just come and see her, Ally please I'm your mother do as you're told," Ally listened to her mom ramble on as she placed books on the shelves. "She's waiting over there," She pointed towards one of the reading zones. "At least talk to her for ten minutes."

Ally looked over at the therapist who was sat in one of the armchairs. She slowly walked over and took a seat opposite her. Her mom sat down next to her and grabbed her hand. Ally flinched from her touch and she immediately wanted Austin to come in and save her.

"I know that what you've been through is very traumatic," She said and she flashed her a smile; which Ally had learned from many therapists, was fake. "But, sleeping with a criminal isn't going to solve any of your problems," Ally's face tightened at the way she insulted Austin and she wished she could speak up to defend him. "I'm a doctor at a mental facility. I could get you a room and help you, this is not me saying you're mentally unstable, but this place could solve a lot of your problems."

Ally shook her head and she glanced at the happy look on her mom's face. _Why is she doing this?_

"I knew you'd need some persuading, so I did some research on the men you're staying with," She pulled out a file from her bag and opened it up. "They've moved houses many times to avoid loan sharks and drug dealers. They were once involved in a gang that was known for killing children. Both of them have connections with hitmen and other dangerous people. These men are trouble and if you think that they care about you, you are wrong."

Ally blinked absently at the black and white photo of Austin. He was leaning against his bike with a cigarette hanging from his mouth and there was a woman hanging from his side. In the background she could see Tyler and another man holding guns whilst laughing at something.

 _I don't know them..._ Ally's chest tightened and she shot to her feet. She took off running out of the library and headed straight for the border of town. She could feel eyes on her and she knew they were watching again, but she didn't care right now. _He's not like that, he can't be like that._

After five minutes, she arrived at the woods and she raced through the trees. Branches scratched at her face and she soon reached the cabin. Jaime was sat on the front step and she got to her feet when she saw the scared look on her face.

"Ally what is it? Austin's inside, shall I get him?" She froze and she didn't know how to respond. Jaime took a step towards her, but Ally took a step back. "Austin!" She shouted and the front door opened.

"Ally, what are you doing back from work? What happened to your face?" He walked down the steps and her eyes began to water. "Ally?" He walked closer and her bottom lip began to quiver. "Is your whiteboard inside?" She breathed in sharply and a chill shot up her spine. She slowly turned around and heard the sound of a car driving towards them. A truck came into view and Ally couldn't see anyone due to the blacked out windows.

Austin stepped in front of her and she swallowed the lump in the back of her throat. The door opened and Ally watched a scary man step out.

"Did you really think you could hide from me for long?" A smile grew on his face and she watched Austin tense. "Tell me where your brother is and I won't kill you."


End file.
